For You, I Will
by Jewel of Hell
Summary: Crossover w/ Stargate: SG-1. On an alien planet, Colonel Jack O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 find a sick young man and take him home. Unwittingly unleashing a great threat on the SGC as the boy isn't all he seems . . .
1. Chapter 1

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** A challenge-fic, issued by not one but two of my lovely readers. I had been wanting to do this for a long time, and I decided to finally get with the program. Plus, I haven't written anything in forever. If you haven't watched Stargate, GO DO SO! This takes place maybe somewhere in the third or fourth season.

* * *

**Meetings, Saving Lives, All In A Day's Work**

Deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, beneath only-god-knew-how-many-feet of solid rock, Stargate Command enjoyed a very secure headquarters. Earth's main line of defense against the threat of alien invasion, it was the most important program in the history of the world, and only a very, very tiny percentage of the world even knew about it.

Among them, Colonel Jack O'Neill, USAF, black-ops trained. Second in command under Major General George Hammond. Parking his black Avalanche, O'Neill headed into the base. A spring lightened his step ever so, something he had never been able to hide when coming to work. What a job! Visiting other planets, meeting aliens and forming alliances, protecting Earth from a danger it didn't even recognize yet. All thanks to the Stargate.

The Stargate, one of the universe's most fabulous works of ingenuity, was a large ring capable of generating a wormhole to other Stargates, thereby traveling great distances in the blink of an eye. No doubt Major Carter, a brilliant astrophysicist, would explain it with a great deal more techno jargon, enough to make Jack's head ache. He was relatively certain she just did it because it annoyed him. Even though Carter wasn't necessarily a petty woman . . .

Jack realized he was whistling and made himself stop. He was cheerful, but no sense in making the airmen think he was a loon. Maybe they already did. Whatever. He was in too good a mood to care. Damn, he was whistling again. The airman at the gate straightened as he approached, throwing a sharp salute. Most kids on this base idolized Colonel Jack O'Neill, responsible for saving the whole planet on more than one occasion.

"At ease," Jack said with a lazy smile.

The kid relaxed into a slightly less rigid posture. "Good morning, sir," he said. "SG-1 off to kick more alien butt?"

Jack chuckled. "Sure hope so."

Heading down into the mountain, Jack took the elevator down to the briefing room. At least, that's where he meant to go. His feet carried him instead to the office of another member of his team, Doctor Daniel Jackson.

Jack wasn't a sentimental man. He was a colonel in the air force, the poster boy for macho, masculine, rugged behavior. A "man's man" if you will. But there was a special place in his heart for Daniel, the slightly geeky, somewhat absent-minded archaelogist who made up SG-1's moral center. Not that he would ever admit to something so corny out loud. More than respecting and admiring Daniel's values and beliefs, he admired the man physically, as well. Comfortable enough in his own skin to feel this way, Daniel was one hell of an attractive man.

Again, not something he would ever admit to aloud.

Daniel was there, all right. With a half-finished mug of coffee in one hand, a barely-touched plate showed breakfast from the commissary. The man had probably been here all night, although he didn't look as rumpled as he normally did. Taking that as a good sign, Jack strolled in still whistling. Now mainly to alert Daniel to his presence.

Ice-blue eyes normally far warmer than the color alone merited looked up from the work that had held them captive. A quick smile bloomed over Daniel's face as he went back to whatever he was working on. "Hi, Jack."

"Hi yourself. Did you even leave the base last night?"

A soft snort. "Yeah. General Hammond threatened to fire me if I didn't at least get some sleep. I know how important today's mission is."

Ah, yes. P25-3X3. A world the local yokels called Desaine. Discovered by SG-4 two weeks ago to be a technologically advanced civilization who tentatively agreed to meet and exchange pleasantries. Needless to say, Daniel was excited. He'd been learning their native tongue for formal greetings and such, the type of stuff Jack usually slept through while standing on his feet. And keeping his ears peeled for any sign of hostility.

Jack couldn't help grinning at the thought of Hammond ordering the stubborn linguist off base. Most people gave Daniel far more lattitude than usual simply because he was Daniel. Stubborn, mule-headed, perilously under-developed sense of danger, strong-willed, and one of the gentlest men O'Neill had ever known. Everyone just seemed to love him, Jack included. Which was why he hadn't killed Daniel for willfully disobeying his orders at nearly every turn.

"We leave in about an hour," he pointed out, nudging the plate of now-cold eggs. "You know coffee is not breakfast, right?"

Daniel shrugged, which meant not only was he not listening, he hadn't really heard. Jack slapped his hands down on whatever Daniel was studying. "Earth to Daniel. Helloooooo, Danny. Wake up. You need to eat some breakfast."

Daniel blinked at the hands that obscured his vision and finally looked up. "Breakfast?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you know, that thing you're supposed to do in the morning. Involves eating and nourishing one's depleted energy reserves."

"Wow, there were a lot of big words in there, Jack. I'm impressed." Straightening and folding his arms.

Resolving not to let the archaeologist bait him like normal, Jack just clapped him on the back. "C'mon. Breakfast. Commissary. You. Me. Basic math."

Daniel didn't look convinced. "I really want to finish-"

Grabbing one lean, well-muscled arm, Jack started hauling him toward the door. "Breakfast," he insisted.

Still grumbling, Daniel didn't give much of a fight. A few marines passed them in the hallway, and they gave Jack crooked grins that let him know they understood. The brave colonel, taking on the stubborn and surprisingly short-tempered linguist. Though it had taken awhile, there wasn't a man or woman on this base who didn't respect Daniel and the aforementioned temper, now. It was something of a legend in the mountain. And few people could stand in the face of that withering, icy blue glare without flinching.

Jack happened to be one of those few. Amused by the knowing looks, Jack grinned right back and continued to propel Daniel along. Either Daniel was feeling really mellow right now or he was too lost in thought to notice because he didn't call Jack on it.

Once in the commissary, Jack managed to coax Daniel into eating a mostly-decent breakfast. It seemed to perk the younger man up, and he began talking about his translations and discoveries. Jack listened with half an ear, not all that interested. Then he guided Daniel to the locker room to gear up. Teal'c was there, the imposing Jaffa mostly ready.

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson," he greeted with the traditional nod.

Daniel nodded back. "Hey, Teal'c."

Little else was said, then they were headed to the 'gateroom. About time for Jack's favorite part of the day.

**o8o o8o**

Panting, gasping, doubling over and nearly falling on his face from the sharp, intense pain, a young man raced through the trees. His normal speed and grace were gone, replaced by desperation, disorientation, and mindless fear. Get away. He had to get away. Someplace safe. Someplace far from here. Someplace . . . through the Ring. He knew one or two addresses, thanks to his partner. Anywhere had to be better than here. Someplace he could recoup. Recover from what had been done to him.

A wave of dizziness and nausea swept through him, finally sending him to his knees. He pitched forward and wretched miserably, sides heaving with the effort. In seconds flat his muscles ached, stomach trying to spew its contents when there was nothing there. The hand not supporting him reached up and clasped the large pendant hanging around his neck on a heavy black chain. Its sharp edges bit into his skin, a few drops of blood welling up.

Finally it passed, leaving him breathless and weak. No sounds of pursuit yet, but that hardly meant anything. Forcing his protesting body back up, he staggered back into his headlong run. Not bothering to hide his trail now. No point. No time. No energy to do so. Spots were beginning to dance in his vision, everything blurring as the lack of proper oxygen to his brain began to take its toll.

Sick. He was so tired of being sick. The nausea, the sharp stabs of pain, the headaches, the weakness, the inability to think straight. Helpless. Not a feeling he liked. Hated, actually. Despised. He felt betrayed, utterly betrayed. _I have to get away._

He nearly collapsed with relief when he broke free of the trees and into a wide clearing. There, at the far end, was the Ring. Legs growing alarmingly rubbery, he forced himself to keep running. _Don't think. Just keep running. You're almost to your freedom. Ignore the pain, ignore the sickness._

While his mind could, apparently his body could not. He was within a few paces of the device that could activate the Ring when he simply collapsed, legs unwilling to support him anymore. His vision darkened, receding almost into black as he panted, trying to marshal failing limbs.

**o8o o8o**

Jack watched as the Stargate engaged, forming the wormhole in the familiar blast of blue energy. Then it subsided, leaving the event horizon behind a shimmering, rippling blue. It never failed to fill O'Neill with a sense of excitement at what lay beyond. Waving with his gloved hand, he slapped his hat on his head and pushed the brim in a bit.

"Let's go, kids," he ordered, heading up the ramp.

SG-1 obediently followed, Daniel looking like a kid on Christmas. Through the tunnel in space, then they were emerging into another world. Desaine. The good feeling dissolved as soon as the world materialized.

There, lying not too far from the DHD, was a thin boy. Entire body quivering wildly, it didn't take a doctor to see he was sick - even from this distance. His skin was a pasty white, a thin sheen of sweat beading on every visible patch. His clothes were ragged as though he'd been running through tangled undergrowth. His bare feet were bruised, scratched, and bleeding. And he was panting like a marathon runner after a several-mile dash.

Daniel was moving before Jack had finished deciding what to do. "Daniel!" Jack barked, but his linguist ignored him. What else was new. "Damn it," he muttered, following with P90 up. "Stay alert Teal'c, Carter."

Daniel had reached the kid's side, already checking him over. "He's got a high fever, Jack," he said, turning those amazing blue eyes on his CO. "We need to get him back to the SGC."

Glancing down at the object of Daniel's concern, Jack felt a twinge of sympathy. The poor kid was obviously out of it. He respond neither to touch nor sound, just gasping and panting for breath. Up close he looked even worse, a sickly gray pallor to his skin. Dark circles rimmed his eyes.

"Uh, sir," Carter said abruptly, sounding tense.

Jack looked up to see evidence of pursuit. Damn. No time to think, then. The kid wasn't in any condition to let them know who was pursuing him and why, he was barely conscious. "Dial it up, Carter," he ordered. "Teal'c, carry the kid." He trained his P90 on the trees, prepared to defend his team if necessary.

The Stargate engaged just as several men armed to the teeth burst from the trees. They looked enraged as they charged SG-1, and Jack didn't wait. He followed Teal'c and Carter through the 'gate, Daniel hot on his heels.

"Need a medical team," he called as soon as the gateroom appeared. He could see a perplexed Hammond watching them from the control room.

Hammond made the call, then he was hustling down. "Colonel?"

"Not exactly sure, sir," Jack said, taking off his hat. "Found him just on the other side of the 'gate. Armed pursuit was on the way, so we got the hell out."

Doctor Janet Fraiser and two med-techs came hurrying in, the petite doctor elbowing everyone out of her way so she could assess her new patient. After about two seconds, she looked up at Hammond.

"Sir, I've got to get him to the infirmary."

Either the action or the noise or something was beginning to rouse the kid. His breathing was slowing a little, and he finally lifted his head. For the first time Jack saw his eyes. They were deep, deep indigo violet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** It never ceases to tickle me pink when I post a new story and within hours I have reviews and faves. Can't tell you how much I love you all, and I'm glad so many of you are happy to see a crossover with Stargate. There may be hints of Jack/Daniel in this later on if you feel you would like to see it, but this is mainly a 1x2 fic (as usual, lol).

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**Wake Up**

Eyes the shade of irises after rain fluttered open, and for a moment, Duo Maxwell was surprised at the lack of pain. It had subsided from a roaring, burning fire to a distant ache. He could feel by the heaviness of his limbs he was still weak, but the dramatic difference was such that he didn't even immediately remember his circumstance.

Eventually the false security evaporated. His eyes were focusing now, and he didn't recognize this place. Some kind of lab, possibly an infirmary. He was hooked to different equipment, and though he didn't know what it was all doing, it didn't seem to be harming him. He was attached to an IV, however, and that he did recognize.

_What are they pumping into me? Where am I?_ He was aware of a continuous beep that began to sound more agitated as his heartrate increased. Instinctively, his hand crept to his chest. The absence of his pendant finally finished sending him into a full-blown panic attack like back near the Ring. Where was it! His eyes cast about frantically as he forced his weakened body to sit up, desperate to know where it was. It was the only thing he _could not_ afford to lose!

He didn't get very far before some people descended on him. All women, three of them. One very petite with dark auburn hair. Pretty, he thought dimly as he fought down panic. Soft, cool hands restrained him, easily thwarting his weak attempts to rise. It was appalling, the ease with which they thwarted him, really.

"Easy, easy," said the petite brunette.

To Duo's dismay, he saw her stick a needle in the IV while the other two women held him down. He renewed his struggles, but it was a matter of moments before the weakness turned into a numbness that stole the last of his strength. He slumped back, fighting the blurriness that tried to obscure his vision. The sedative must have been mild, because it didn't knock him out. The two women released him, confident he couldn't struggle now, leaving him alone with the brunette.

Her dark eyes were smiling as she looked down at him. "Hi. Can you tell me your name?"

For long moments, Duo just stared at her in amazement. Where the hell was he? He tried to remember what had happened. Fleeing. Yes, he'd been fleeing toward the Ring. Hoping to get off Desaine. He hadn't made it. What had happened? He couldn't remember. He vaguely recalled fighting to breathe and not black out, and something that might have been sound and movement. Everything was too jumbled behind his own pain and fear.

"Can you understand me?" she continued in that same gentle tone.

Something about it soothed Duo. He couldn't remember her question just moments before, so he decided to try one of his own. "Wh . . ." Too dry. Licking his lips with an equally dry tongue, Duo swallowed tightly. "Where-?"

"You're on a planet called Earth," she said, still in that soothing tone. "This is the SGC. You're safe here."

Safe? Earth? SGC? Not familiar at all. But he was no longer on Desaine? Perhaps she sensed his terrible thirst, because she offered him something. As soon as it touched his tongue he recognized ice. He greedily accepted until she would give him no more. Thirst far from abated, he nonetheless felt a bit better, throat not so scratchy. This time he managed to work up a little moisture when he swallowed.

"Who're you?" he asked, pleased his voice didn't sound so pathetic now.

She smiled a little. "I'm Doctor Janet Fraiser. You're in the infirmary. When SG-1 brought you here, you were very sick."

"SG-1?"

"One of our teams that goes out exploring other worlds. They had gone to your world and found you near the Stargate. Do you remember any of that?"

Stargate? After a moment Duo guessed she meant the Portal Ring. Did he remember being found by the Ring? Not really. He thought he remembered being lifted, though, if he concentrated. And voices he didn't recognize.

"I . . . I think so."

"Feel like telling me your name now?" she said, smoothing back a lock of his dark, cinnamon hair.

For some reason, Duo felt more relaxed around her than he had since . . . before. "Duo," he said, allowing his eyes to slip shut.

"Well, you just relax now, Duo. You've got a ways to go before you're recovered."

The sense of security vanished. Duo tried to sit up, but the sedative kept him stationary. "Doctor . . . there was . . . I was wearing a pendant. Where is it? Please, can I have it back? It's all I have left, it's very important to me -"

"Shh," she murmured, squeezing his shoulder. She pulled it out of her white coat's pocket. "I figured it must mean something to you, since it was the only thing you were carrying."

Relief flooded Duo, sharp and sweet, as the cool black metal contacted his skin. It was safe. A quick perusal told him it wasn't damaged, the metal not even bent. Shaped something like a large sword, it was easily the length of his hand, even a little longer. Lacking the strength to fasten it around his neck again, he simply clutched it against his chest.

"Thanks," he mumbled, her face beginning to fade out.

"You're welcome," she replied. "You just get some rest, okay?"

Rest. Yes . . . he hardly had the energy for anything else.

**o8o o8o**

General Hammond was in the briefing room with SG-1 when Janet made her way up. The five gathered all looked at her, and she took her usual spot at the general's right. She lay the newly-created medical file down on the table.

"He woke, briefly," she began without preamble. The whole mountain was very curious about the visitor SG-1 had brought with them. "His name is Duo, and I can verify he's definitely not human."

Hammond nodded. "Do we know what, exactly, he is?"

Janet shook her head. "Not yet, sir. His physiology has some similarities to ours, and so far he seems to be reacting well to the drugs we've given him. He has a viral infection, but near as I can tell it's not contagious. SG-1 shows no signs of infection, nor any of my staff. Thankfully, quarantine isn't necessary."

"That's good to hear," Hammond said.

"Did he tell you why he was being chased?" Daniel inserted.

Janet smiled. Leave it to gentle Daniel to be more interested in the boy himself rather than what he was or where he came from. "Not yet. He seemed very disoriented and confused. I gave him a mild sedative, and he's sleeping now."

Hammond, who had been watching her intently, shifted his gaze to Colonel O'Neill. "Very well. Colonel, I'd like you and Doctor Jackson to question him when Doctor Fraiser thinks he's up to it. Try to find out what he was doing near the Stargate, and who those men were pursuing him. I don't need to remind you, we're dealing with a delicate situation with Desaine, and I would like not to jeopardize any relations with them before we know what they have to offer."

Everyone nodded, and the colonel and archaeologist followed Janet out of the briefing room. She led them back to the infirmary, and both men stood at the side of the boy's bed. Janet slid between them, aware as always how much shorter than them she was. But as always, she didn't feel threatened. Indeed, she had more than enough personality to bridge the gap.

The boy lay still and quiet, his hand still clutching that strange pendant. "I don't know if it's due to the virus," she began, not bothering to keep her voice hushed, "but he's quite undernourished. I'd say he's a good thirty pounds underweight, and though I'm only guessing I'd say he's about fifteen or sixteen. He's pretty sick, but I think he's going to be okay."

"And you're sure we won't get his bug?" Colonel O'Neill said, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled. "I'm sure, sir. Tell you the truth, I'm not even sure this virus is a naturally-occuring one. At least, it looks nothing like any virus I've ever seen, and its structure seems too . . . geometrical. I think . . ." She hesitated, unwilling to make accusations until she knew the full story.

"It's a manmade virus, and someone infected him deliberately?" Daniel spoke her suspicions aloud.

A bit uncomfortable, Janet shrugged. "Or he was somehow accidentally exposed."

Her words made Colonel O'Neill raise an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything about it. "How long until he wakes up?" he asked.

Janet folded her arms. "Shouldn't be more than a few hours."

"What are the differences between him and us?" Daniel asked.

"Physically, he appears human," Janet replied, the beginnings of a smile forming. "His DNA is not the double-helix formation like ours - it's more like a quadruple helix. His brain activity is about ten times that of a normal human, leading me to suspect he probably has some form of telepathy. After all, we've seen cases like this before. There is also more in his blood than red and white cells and platelets. There's a fourth and fifth type of cell, though I'm not sure what they are yet or what their function might be."

The colonel's eyes had glazed over at about 'double-helix,' but Daniel looked intrigued. "But he understood English just fine?"

Janet nodded. "Mm hmm."

"Thanks, Doc," O'Neill interjected. "We'll call you when he wakes up, you can let us know if he's up to questioning."

Recognizing that as a dismissal, Janet nodded and withdrew.

**o8o o8o**

Daniel knew Jack had something on his mind. The colonel was good at keeping things close to the vest, but Daniel was better at reading him. Those dark eyes of his couldn't always hide everything. Folding his arms, keeping his eyes on the sleeping boy, he waited. Jack would broach the subject when he was ready and not before, and pushing him or making him hurry would only clam him up. While he waited, he studied their visitor.

The boy was . . . well, pretty. Not masculine enough to be handsome, too striking to be attractive. Creamy-pale skin without blemish. Long, rich and dark cinnamon colored hair with streaks of auburn and even gold. Eyes the color of shaded irises misted with rain. Long, long eyelashes. But beyond his physical appearance, there were things that disturbed Daniel. Bruises in strange places, such as at the hollow of his throat. One near his mouth. Around his wrists. Inner elbows. It looked, to an eye trained as Daniel's, like he'd been restrained or tortured. Perhaps both.

"He's been tortured," Jack's first words echoed Daniel's thoughts.

At the eerie timing, Daniel looked at the colonel. Jack was staring down at Duo, eyes troubled. "Are you sure?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Jack reached down and lifted one thin, pale arm, running his thumb over the inner elbow. "Needle marks," he said. "These bruises were obviously caused by some kind of restraint, metal judging by the damage. And this mark -" he touched the oddly-colored bruise at the boy's throat - "was caused by an electric charge."

Daniel's breath stuttered. "Were they trying to _kill_ him?" he growled.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." He finally looked at Daniel. "What've you learned about Desaine's culture?"

A bit surprised, Daniel considered. "Well, they're proud and aggressive. They don't care for newcomers, but when they find a strong race they ally with them and sometimes share technology and knowledge."

"Ruthless?"

"Uh, I guess I would use that word in some contexts."

"Human?"

"Yes, they are human."

"So maybe this kid had or has something they want."

"And they tried to extract it by torturing him?"

Those dark, dark brown eyes were stormy. "Seems likely."

It was Daniel's turn to be uncomfortable about making accusations. "We don't know if the Desaine Central Government sanctioned this boy's treatment," he said carefully. "Or if he was even tortured. He could have been . . . involved in an accident somehow."

Jack's expression remained clouded, and Daniel wasn't sure if Jack agreed, disagreed, or what. For once he couldn't read the colonel.

"Jack?"

"Daniel?"

Biting his lip at the typical response, Daniel sighed. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't trust it."

"You don't trust what?"

A pause. "None of it."

Daniel wanted to ask if that included Duo himself, but the look in Jack's eye made him keep silent. The colonel was deep in thought, and he didn't want to be interrupted. "I'm gonna go get some coffee," he said eventually. "You want some?"

"Sure," Jack replied, not taking his eyes off the boy.

Unsettled and not sure why, Daniel left the infirmary and headed to the commissary. As he stepped in, he was nearly bowled over by Major Griff. The leader of SG-2 caught Daniel's elbow to steady him.

"Sorry, Doctor Jackson," he said in his somewhat gruff voice.

Daniel flicked him a smile. "It's all right." He made to move around him, but Griff briefly tightened his hold to keep him stationary.

"How's the kid?" he asked.

Ah, of course. Everyone was curious. "Janet said he's recovering, but we haven't really had the chance to talk to him yet. I'm making a pit stop before I go back to question him with Jack."

Griff released his hold, nodding. "Thanks. You let us know if we can help."

Smiled, warmed by the man's words, Daniel nodded. "I'm sure Jack will if we do. Thanks."

Grabbing a cup of coffee (store brand, not what he was used to but it would have to suffice) for both him and Jack, he headed back down to the infirmary. Jack was now sitting by the bed instead of standing, but he wasn't watching its occupant. He was staring at the far wall, eyes unfocused. Wondering what he was thinking about, Daniel nudged his shoulder before offering the coffee. Jack gave him an empty look before accepting it and taking a sip.

Daniel leaned against the wall at the head of the bed, the side where wires weren't attached to monitoring equipment everywhere. "Are you hoping it was an accident?" In retrospect, an odd thing to say.

Apparently, Jack didn't think so. "Dunno." Still with that troubled look.

Perhaps the boy sensed the scrutiny, because much sooner than Janet's prediction he began to stir. His movements seemed restless, head tossing a little before those eyes, such a vibrant color, flickered open. As soon as awareness settled in he gasped and tried to sit up. Daniel was about to stop him when his hand tightened and he stilled, eyeing his pendant. It seemed to calm him, and he lay back. His eyes closed, and he uttered a faint sigh.

"You have questions."

Not a question in itself. Hearing his voice seemed to bring Jack out of his trance. He sat up.

"A few."

Duo's eyes opened. "I'll try to answer."

"Who was chasing you?"

Daniel winced. Not the question he would have asked right off the bat.

The boy hesitated. "Who are you?" he asked, voice equal parts worry and fear.

Deciding Jack wasn't in the right frame of mind, Daniel stepped forward into his line of sight. "I'm Daniel Jackson," he offered with what he hoped was a gentle smile, "and this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. We're peaceful explorers from Earth -" he made a vague gesture all around - "which is where we brought you."

Duo looked faintly surprised. "Yeah, Doctor Fraiser told me that part already. You're . . . explorers? That's why you came to Desaine?"

"Yes," Daniel said. "We had a meeting with the Desaine Central Government, to talk of possible alliances."

The words sent Duo flinching back into the pillows, face draining of all color. "You can't," he all but whimpered.

Once more rousing Jack. "Why not?"

Duo turned huge, haunted eyes on him. "You . . . you _can't,"_ he said again. "Don't . . . please, don't . . ."

Peripherally, Daniel was aware of the monitor's beep speeding up. By now Duo was shaking wildly, moisture springing to his eyes and tears beginning to fall freely down his pale cheeks. Daniel was about to attempt calming him down, but Janet made her appearance then. She elbowed Daniel out of the way.

"Daniel, Colonel, would you mind leaving?" she said in a terse voice. "Easy, Duo. Just relax . . ."

**o8o o8o**

When the two men left the infirmary, Duo managed to calm down. The thought of being sent back to Desaine for the sake of an alliance literally made him sick to his stomach. Fortunately, the pretty brunette doctor didn't sedate him again. When he was calm and quiet once more, she moved the bed so he was sitting up.

"Feel like eating something?" she asked, wearing that soft smile.

The thought of food both tempted and tormented Duo. He was hungry, but he felt it would make him sick. How long had it been since he actually ate something, rather than his stomach being pumped with nutrients intravenously? A long, long time. He barely remembered what food tasted like. So he nodded, hoping a little sustenance would help him feel stronger. He needed to be able to get out of this bed to use his pendant. And time was of the essence - he would need to use it soon.

Looking pleased he'd said yes, the sweet doctor settled a tray across his lap. He didn't recognize anything on it, but he carefully sampled the contents. He found it to be mildly flavored like nothing he'd ever eaten, but it was good. Morever, it settled lightly in his stomach and did, indeed, make him feel a little stronger when he'd finished.

When Janet took the tray away, he gestured toward the strange, boxy things he guessed were monitors. "Are these your computers?" he asked.

She seemed a bit surprised he'd engaged her first. "Yes. The data you can see on the surface tells me how you're doing. And speaking of that, how are you feeling?" She laid her hand on his forehead.

"Better, now I've eaten," he said, trying not to fidget. What he wanted more than anything was to be left alone. A few minutes was all he needed. "They look strange. These are monitors, right?"

She nodded. "You've never seen a computer before?"

"Not like these," he admitted. "Our monitors are . . . not like that. They're bigger, and much more flat. They project 3D images."

Janet looked like she might like to say something, but Duo chose that moment to offer a huge - and only partly faked - yawn. She smiled at once, patting his blanket-covered leg. "You've been very sick. I think I'll let you try to rest. We can talk more in the morning."

Nodding, Duo sank into the pillows as she lowered the bed again. After the hard cots he'd slept on lately, it was quite comfortable. As soon as he was mostly horizontal, he closed his eyes and willed her to leave. She lingered long enough to make him feel antsy, then he sensed her leave.

Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was alone in the infirmary. He wasn't stupid - he could see cameras trained on him. The question was, how long would it take them to decide he was a threat when he got up out of bed? He couldn't use his pendant on the monitor, he needed an actual computer.

That first. Looking around the room, he took careful inventory. There was equipment the purpose of which he couldn't begin to divine. But there were other monitors, and eventually he followed the cords and cables to a tallish box on the floor beside one of the desks. That looked promising. He examined it with his eyes as thoroughly as he could from this position, knowing if anyone was watching the camera closely he would look tired and maybe a little bored from this angle.

Eventually he saw a connection hub that looked like the right shape to insert his pendant. It was an extremely sophisticated piece of equipment, so it should work well enough. It only needed about two seconds to start working. Next problem. How could he make it all the way over to that desk without someone bearing down on him and stopping him? He wasn't in any condition to fight off an overzealous puppy, let alone an armed security guard. _Am I even strong enough to walk that distance?_

He would have to be. The pendant had been inactive now for over two days. It needed a new power source, or its contents would be lost. Something Duo would rather die than let happen. As he pondered possible solutions, one came to mind via a strong call of nature, so to speak. He was in desperate need of a bathroom facility. Now that he actually thought about it he realized he could feel a tube down there. Well, no need to guess what that was for. Reaching over, he pressed the call button Janet had shown him while he ate.

A nurse appeared after a brief wait. She was not as pretty as Janet, but she was taller. Duo adopted a sick expression - given his current condition, it was easy. Smiling, she brushed his hair back.

"Need something?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," he explained in a pathetic voice.

Her smiled deepened. "We've got you on a catheter, hon," she explained. "You don't need to get up."

Duo shook his head. "I . . . I can't. I . . ." his voice trailed off.

She understood. Either that, or she read minds. Nodding, she began removing the various wires and paraphenalia attached to him. With an arm around his waist she helped him stand, and he was pleased to find his legs far stronger than when he'd collapsed at the Ring. He probably could have made it without her help, but he made a show of being weak and shaky.

In the small bathroom he relieved himself and washed his hands. There was no camera in here, so he carefully fastened the pendant around his neck and pressed a tiny protrusion on the 'hilt.' Unlocked, he slid the 'sword' from its sheath. It no longer looked like a sword, now. Rather, it bore a strong resemblance to a Desaine data recording and transferring device. The end was not sharpened into a tip, but rather a blunt and flat rectangle. Concealing the shorter device in his hand, he made his way back out, moving even slower and unsteadier, now.

The nurse didn't try to hurry him, making sympathetic noises the whole time, encouraging him. Duo allowed himself to stagger in her hold, and when he was by the computer he let his legs go limp. The nurse wasn't quite large enough to support him fully, and without warning he went down to the ground. Duo sprawled somewhat gracelessly, panting as if he'd run a marathon.

"S-sorry," he gasped. "Can't . . ."

"Shh, it's all right," she soothed. "Just let me get some help and we'll get you back to bed." She moved to the bedside, reaching for the call button.

As soon as her back was turned, Duo acted. Making sure his body blocked his hands, he plunged the pendant into the computer. The blunt end slid smoothly into the connector hub, and a tiny red light flicked on at the top. Duo quickly pushed himself away so it would look as though he was trying to get up. With luck, the cameras wouldn't even pick up on the pendant until it was too late - which would be in about thirty seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** I am having sooooooooo much fun . . .

* * *

**Thirty Seconds**

"What?"

Jack started. He'd actually forgotten he'd followed Daniel to his office and was currently sitting there, staring into space. "What, what?"

Daniel gave him a Flat Look. "You're making me nervous."

Blink. "Eh?"

Sighing and lowering his pen, Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jack, I wish you would either tell me what's bothering you or leave. The anticipation is killing me."

Oh. Of course. What the hell else was Daniel talking about. The kid. He heaved a sigh of his own. "Dunno what to tell ya," he admitted at last. "I just got a bad feeling about it."

Daniel gestured toward the door. "General Hammond asked me to contact the Desaines and tell them why we aren't there yet. Maybe they could tell us something."

"Ah," Jack said, half nodding. He rose, indicating he would follow.

The pair made their way in silence to the control room overlooking the 'gate room. Jack could tell he was making Daniel uneasy, but he couldn't really blame him. He was starting to make himself uneasy. He didn't like this situation. Something about it was screaming out to all his instincts that it was _wrong_. Exactly which part was wrong he had yet to figure out, and it was giving him a headache. Sighing again, he resolved to be patient until they'd learned more.

Daniel looked down at Sgt. Walter. "Would you dial Desaine?" he asked.

Ever the polite one. The balding man nodded. "Dialing P25-3X3." He typed some commands onto the keyboard, and in the 'gate room the Stargate started spinning. "Chevron one encoded."

Jack watched the enormous ring begin its thing. He was guessing, based on the kid's reaction, that the Desaine Central Government had something to do with all this. Why else would the poor kid go into fits over them? Daniel sent him a furtive look, and Jack realized he was doing it again. Giving his best friend a slightly sheepish look, he tried to stop.

"Chevron two encoded."

Perhaps the kid was a prisoner. Maybe he'd escaped from them and had been attempting to flee punishment.

"Chevron three encoded."

Maybe he was a captive. Imprisoned unfairly and unjustly for information or technology or -

"Chevron four encoded."

"Jack, you're giving me a headache," Daniel murmured in his ear.

Giving Daniel a rueful smile, Jack forced his mind to clear.

"Chevron five encoded."

"We'll get to the bottom of this," Daniel promised, his eyes full of confidence. "_You'll_ get to the bottom of this."

The lights flickered. Jack blinked, startled. What the -

Walter looked nonplussed as the computer screens went blank and the 'gate stopped dialing. A large message started flashing across the monitors in red: _SECURITY BREACH DETECTED._

"Shit!" Jack snapped, reaching over and slapping the alarm button on the wall. Claxons began their blaring, and red lights flashed. "What the hell is it?"

"Sir, the computers have detected someone or something trying to hack into our mainframe," Walter said in a voice rising with distress.

"Get Carter in here!" he snapped.

"Already here, Sir," came the Major's voice. She came racing around him, taking Walter's place at the terminal just as General Hammond came out of his office.

"Colonel, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Sir, it looks like someone is trying to hack into the SGC," Carter answered before Jack could open his mouth. "There's a virus in our system, and it's moving _fast_. Attempting to isolate before it reaches the mainframe and - _shit_!"

Even Jack was slightly taken aback. Carter usually kept her explosive language for offworld where the general couldn't hear.

"Major?" Hammond prompted.

She shook her head. "It's in, sir. There's nothing I can do. It just locked me out, and I can't get in." She looked up at the general, expression stunned and lost.

Hammond obviously was not willing to accept that. "Get back control of this base, Major. I want to know where the breach came from, and who is responsible. Colonel, I want this base locked down. I don't need to remind you, we've got three teams offworld right now who can't come home until this base is back under our control." With that, he stalked back into his office.

"Get on it, Carter," Jack ordered. He sprinted out of the control room to follow the general's orders and put the base on lockdown.

**o8o o8o**

Major Samantha Carter, arguably the most brilliant mind at the SGC, fought with the computers to get them to talk to her. Even though the system displayed all the symptoms of being bombarded by a powerful virus, she couldn't trace it. At her shoulder, Daniel stood quietly. She took strength from his warm, reassuring presence as she fought her own frustration and growing desperation. Colonel O'Neill reappeared about twenty minutes later, and she tried not to wince. He wasn't a patient man, and he wanted answers whether she could provide them or not.

Fortunately, she wasn't completely empty-handed. And she suspected he would not like what she had to say. "Colonel," she said with a nod. "I haven't been able to isolate the virus, but I discovered where it originated."

He just cocked his head, like he did when he was listening and didn't want to wait.

Skipping all the techno-jargon that he would neither appreciate nor understand, she rapped her knuckle against the monitor. "In the infirmary, sir."

Both Daniel and O'Neill straightened, exchanging looks. "The infirmary," her CO repeated flatly.

"Yes, sir," Sam confirmed. She knew they were both thinking the same thing, and so was she.

The boy they'd brought back from Desaine.

**o8o o8o**

When the nurse helped him back to his bed, Duo could barely contain his nervous energy. How tight was security around here? Would the SGC detect his tampering before his pendant finished working? Would they have sophisticated-enough programs to stop it if they did? Duo had no idea what he would do then. Probably beg these people to kill him.

For several moments he lay there, trying to watch his pendant without drawing attention to it. The light on the 'hilt' continued to blink green, meaning of course it was transferring its data. As soon as it went solid green, the transfer would be complete and the pendant would have done its job. It was a very fast-acting device, it would need almost no time at all-

And then it went solid green. Duo almost fainted from the sharp relief. It was done. Closing his eyes, he relaxed into the pillows. No doubt the SGC would soon detect the tampering. But now, it was too late. They wouldn't be able to stop it.

Sure enough, alarms began blaring and red lights flashed. Duo barely flinched at the sudden noise, feeling far more peaceful now. Not long passed and there was a flurry of activity in the halls. Nurses fluttered about, probably following some kind of emergency plan. Duo ignored it all, including the armed men that stationed themselves at the infirmary's entrance. A faint smile crossed his lips. Good.

It wasn't very long before Colonel O'Neill and Daniel came into the infirmary. They were followed by a shorter blonde woman - still taller than Janet - that he'd never seen before. And a round bald man who wore authority like one long used to it. Possibly the base's leader. Probably, he amended silently. He waited for them to approach the bed, glad it was up to allow him to sit rather than lie down.

"What the hell did you do?" O'Neill barked out.

Straight to accusations. Duo shrugged slowly, knowing his expression would be cool, indifferent, and possibly satisfied. "I'm not sure what you mean."

The tall colonel loomed over him. "I think you know damn well what I mean."

"Jack . . ." Daniel said, reaching over to put a hand on the man's arm-which he shook off.

"_What did you do?_"

"Gonna imprison me?" Duo said with a dark, crooked smile.

For a moment he actually thought the man might attempt bodily harm, but at that moment a strong, authoritative voice rang out,

"Stop."

Duo's heart leaped in his chest, everything melting off his mind except that voice. His eyes flickered shut, his stomach fluttering pleasantly. The humans at his bedside all looked completely flabbergasted. It was the bald leader that recovered first.

"Who was that?"

"Your Major Carter called me a virus," the voice said, "although that is an oversimplification. If you hurt Duo, Colonel O'Neill, I will make you regret it."

Their expressions darkened, but Duo barely noticed. God, he'd missed hearing his name spoken like that.

O'Neill took several steps backward, casting about. "Where the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you?" the bald leader said immediately after.

"My name is Heero Yuy," Heero's voice poured over Duo's senses. "I am of the same race as Duo, though I have been reduced to this thanks to the Desaines. I am the so-called virus Duo downloaded into your mainframe."

"So it was you," O'Neill growled, advancing again.

"I meant what I said, Colonel," Heero warned quietly. "I don't have any desire to hurt you, but I will if you touch Duo."

"How are you gonna do that?" O'Neill taunted.

"Colonel," the bald leader said in an undertone.

Duo started when he felt cool wires shift around him, and in moments exposed lines crackled with energy around him.

"Something like this," Heero said - he sounded vaguely amused. "I could kill you with little trouble, even without my physical body."

"Heero," Daniel said, looking toward the monitors, "can you make yourself appear on the screens?"

Duo eagerly sat up a little straighter, because he knew the answer to that. In moments, the monitor that had been displaying his vitals went black. Replacing the information, Heero's beautiful face appeared. His slightly unkempt hair, roguish and dark in striking cobalt eyes. Skin warm golden tones that had always reminded Duo of the sun. His fingers literally ached with the desire to touch that skin again, to run through the dark hair, to trace contours he remembered so well.

"I can," Heero said.

Daniel immediately addressed his image. "What happened to you? You said you were of the same race as Duo?"

"What _is_ that race?" Janet abruptly interjected.

Duo started. He'd not noticed her appear.

"We were called the N'saian," Heero replied. "There are very few of us left. We were persecuted for our many unique abilities, telepathy not the least of which. Our homeworld was invaded by the Gao'uld, but our peaceful people did not have any defenses. Most of them were either killed or enslaved. Our families, Duo's and mine, fled and eventually wound up on Desaine. We had lived there for some time. When Duo was thirteen and I was fourteen, we entered the Desaine Central Military, invited to train and fight for our new home. We agreed, but we were betrayed. My physical body was killed and my consciousness transferred into a computer program. My mind's capacity mutated it beyond recognition. Duo was imprisoned and tortured for weeks. They performed countless experiments on us both, hoping to maximize our potential as weapons. I will neither allow you to take him back to them, nor allow them to come here."

Old pain welled up in Duo's heart. Though he was only fifteen and Heero sixteen, the two of them had been lovers for several months before they'd been betrayed. He could remember his excitement at joining the military. He could remember the horror at seeing Heero killed. And the stilted joy that he still had Heero with him, even if not physically.

The bald leader stirred. "I cannot allow you to have control of this facility," he said in a hard voice.

On the screen, Heero looked down at him. "You can't stop me, General Hammond. And until you agree to a few things, I'm not returning control to you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** Have I mentioned lately how much I love you, my wonderful readers?

* * *

**Agreements**

Heero wanted everyone to leave the infirmary except for Janet, and there was little choice but to obey. General Hammond gave the petite doctor a significant look, telling her without words he wanted her to find out as much as she could. She gave no indication she understood, but when they were gone she busied herself checking Duo's condition. Strangely, he seemed to be doing better, a bit of color returning to his pale face. Though she couldn't be sure if he was an enemy or not, he was still her patient and she was still concerned.

"Heero?" she asked. "Are you still listening?"

"Yes, Doctor Fraiser."

The fact that he knew their names unnerved her just a bit. It wasn't her main concern, but curiosity won. Besides, it might be a good way to break the ice and gain his trust. "How do you know our names?"

A soft snort. "I'm in your computer systems. I've read all the personnel files. Mission reports, too. You seem like good people."

The comment surprised her. "I like to think we are," she said. "I wanted to ask you about the N'saian. Can you create some kind of medical file for me so I can learn about your physiology? I can't treat Duo very well if I don't know enough about his physical makeup." She was guessing Duo was very important to Heero.

"Of course. I'll create a file right away. Shouldn't take me very long. Also, your neural scanners aren't very accurate. I can show you far more accurate readings of Duo's brain waves. There are some small but important differences between a human's brain and ours."

"Anything you can do, I'd appreciate," Janet agreed, smiling at the image of the handsome young man on the monitor. "Also, what can you tell me about the virus in Duo's system?"

Heero's blue eyes shifted from her to the boy sitting quietly on the bed. They went from intense to soft - and even though this was just an image, she could still clearly see the love. Somehow, she wasn't surprised.

"It's not really a virus," he said. "It was created by a scientist as a cure for another disease. It worked - but only to a point. It cured the disease but created massive complications. Duo was infected with the original disease, and then he was injected with the experimental cure."

Heat flashed across Janet's skin. "Was he the first test subject?"

"Yes," Duo cut in quietly. His eyes were clouded.

Red filmed her vision. It never failed to infuriate her, hearing of people deliberately harming others.

"I researched every single archive on Desaine," Heero said. "I pored through all their research on the virus. I'm cross-referencing right now with all the information pertinent on your Internet. So far there's nothing on Earth that compares. I'll construct a 3D representation of it, including a list of all its functions and primary symptoms."

In about four seconds, it appeared on the monitor. Janet studied it. "Doesn't really look like a virus," she murmured.

"No," Heero agreed, "though it was built to imitate one." The image disappeared, and it was replaced by a basic outline of a man. "Human physiology is similar to N'saian, with a few notable differences."

Janet watched as Heero created a digital representation of a human body, filling in organs, veins, bone, muscle, and tissue. In place of the liver was something that distantly resembled a multi-chambered stomach. "What is that?"

"Similar in function to the liver," Heero said, "the body's detox station. It is capable of drawing toxins such as poison and bacteria out of the blood where it attacks it and breaks it into harmless compounds to be flushed out. This virus is the only thing I have ever seen defeat it." A brief pause. "Our brains are similiar in structure to yours, but we have approximately twice the number of synapses. I'll show you a far more accurate and detailed brain scan."

Janet opened her mouth to ask how, but Heero was already moving. The wires she'd attached to Duo were shifting, and to her shock the exposed ends burrowed into Duo's temples. The boy jerked and winced, but they held him still.

"Shh, Duo," Heero murmured. "It won't hurt for long. The more she knows, the better she can help you."

Janet was ready to protest, but it was a bit late. Not sure whether to be fascinated or repulsed, she turned to study the scans as Heero created them.

**o8o o8o**

"I need answers, people," General Hammond said, sitting at the head of the table in the briefing room.

He didn't look happy. To Daniel's right, Jack stirred. "We couldn't know when we brought that kid through the 'gate he would attack the base," he almost snapped.

Always quick to withhold judgment, Daniel shook his head. "I'm not sure that's what he did, General," he cut in.

"Then what, Daniel?" Jack said in a sneering tone. "He's just here on an exploratory mission? Wants to learn a little about us? That frickin' thing's in our computers."

"It was probably an act of self-preservation when we mentioned Desaine," Daniel tried to be reasonable. "We don't even know why he did it."

"I'm not sure it matters, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said.

"With all due respect, General," Daniel said gently, "that's _all_ that matters. It could mean the difference between a hostile takeover and an act of desperation. I don't get the feeling Duo meant to attack the base."

"Then what did he mean to do, Daniel?" Jack growled.

"Well, I'd like the chance to talk to him and find out," Daniel replied, giving Jack a Look. Demanding he see reason for once and not be such an ass.

Tall orders, maybe.

"Sir, I think Daniel may be right," Sam, bless her, piped up. "Near as I can tell there's no damage to the systems. No data has been erased and none has even left the base. It's more like the virus - Heero - is just . . . sitting in our computers. Using up memory, maybe, but not hurting anything."

Jack, obviously, didn't like anyone telling him his perceived threat was not a threat. He glowered at her, but Daniel sent her a grateful smile.

"Major," General Hammond said, "is there any way we can get this virus out of our computers?"

Sam looked uncomfortable. "Well, sir, probably. My only concern is, we could fry our computers in the process."

"General -" Daniel began.

Hammond looked at him. "You have one hour, Doctor Jackson, then I'm letting Major Carter go ahead."

Trying not to grind his teeth in frustration, Daniel nodded and rose, headed for the infirmary. He was glad Jack didn't follow; he wasn't all that sure he wouldn't deck the idiot.

As soon as he entered the infirmary, cameras trained on him and Duo looked up. The boy wasn't as pale as he had been, and a hint of a smile crossed his lips when he saw Daniel.

"Doctor Jackson."

"Hi, Duo," Daniel replied, coming to stand by the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I was," Duo said.

"Good," Daniel said - and he meant it. Regardless of what Jack believed, Daniel didn't think this boy was a threat. "I'm here to ask you a few questions."

"I know," Heero cut in, and his image blinked onto the monitor. "I can hear you, anywhere on this base. I'm in every single electronic program here, and since they're all electronic, I'm in them all. Maybe you should tell your O'Neill to remember that."

For a moment Daniel struggled between alarm and amusement. That wouldn't make Jack happy. Still, even with the thinly veiled threats, Daniel still wanted to help these two. "So you know what we'd like to know."

"Yes," Heero replied. "Duo and I will fill you in as soon as he's well, I promise. Doctor Fraiser?"

Janet looked up from what she was studying. Which looked like . . . well, frankly Daniel had no clue. She stood and came to Daniel's side. "Tentatively, I'd say tomorrow." She smiled and brushed her fingers over Duo's arm. "You're doing well." She looked back to Daniel. "I'll give him another exam in the morning, but after that I think he could sit through a debriefing with General Hammond and SG-1."

Hoping Jack and Hammond would be satisfied with that, Daniel looked up at Heero. "So, what have you three been doing?"

"Learning about the SGC, humans, and Earth," Heero replied. "You have a strange role here, Doctor Jackson."

"Daniel," he corrected. "And yes. I do."

Duo shifted, sitting up a little straighter. "What _is_ your role here?"

"Well, I'm an archaeologist," Daniel replied. "I'm also a linguist. I do translations and research when we discover new civilizations and cultures. I'm also one of the few diplomats on the base." A hint of a grin.

Duo broke into a sweet smile. "And tactful, too. So you're not military, then."

"No, I'm not."

"Seems like you wouldn't get along with Colonel O'Neill," Duo mused.

Daniel blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"Jarhead," Heero said flatly. "Earth term."

Duo snickered.

Daniel had to bite back a grin. "Uh, that _might_ have been accurate at one time, but Jack's not as rough as he seems. He's a good man."

"You respect him," Heero said. Not a question.

"Yeah," Daniel confirmed.

"Do you love him?" Duo asked.

For a moment, it caught Daniel off-guard. This time his smile was a little wistful. "In a way. He's my best friend, and sometimes he feels like an overprotective older brother." He looked into Duo's indigo eyes. "You loved Heero, didn't you?"

Duo's eyes darkened. "_Love_, Daniel. As in, still do." He looked up at Heero's image, and Daniel could see tears forming. "Yes, I love him with all my heart. They used that against us."

Daniel saw Janet stroking Duo's arm, maybe trying to calm or comfort him, her dark brown eyes sympathetic. Though she was military, Daniel knew a homosexual relationship wouldn't bother her. As it didn't bother him. But there were some on this base who might be bothered.

"I know what you're thinking," Heero said abruptly, startling Daniel. "No gays in the military, right? Don't worry about it, Doctor Jackson."

"Just be careful," Daniel cautioned. "You've already made everyone here edgy."

"Noted."

**o8o o8o**

"Major."

Sam nearly jumped out of her skin when Heero's voice sounded in her lab. Looking up from the computer she'd isolated from the mainframe, she spotted his image appearing on another monitor. He looked cold, calculating, and even smugly amused.

"Heero," she said.

"It won't work, Major," he said.

Trying not to jump to conclusions, Sam shrugged. "What won't?"

"Let's just assume I'm as smart as you and not play dumb. Your plan to eliminate me. It won't work. I am not a computer program, and I'm not a virus. You can't simply overwrite me as if I were. I am the consciousness of a living person, and I'm _far_ more complicated than any software you could conceive, let alone design."

Biting her lip, Sam tried to guess whether he was telling the truth or if he was lying to try and save himself. _Save himself._ Daniel's voice abruptly sounded in her mind, asking her whether she had any right to be attempting the destruction of what, for all intents and purposes, was another living being. If Heero was telling the truth about what had happened to him, she would be preparing for his execution. Colonel O'Neill wouldn't like to hear her thinking like that. But what if it had been an act of self-preservation?

"Why did Duo 'download' you into our mainframe?" she asked presently.

"The data transfer device he had stored me in is too small. The memory capacity for me needs to be at least 10 terabytes, otherwise . . . in simplest terms, the program would destroy itself. I would be lost."

"10 terabytes?" Sam repeated, shaking her head. Considering the fastest computers in the world needed only a few gigs . . . 10 terabytes worth of memory was a _huge_ capacity. "This base doesn't have a memory capacity that big."

"I know," Heero said. "For now what you have is enough. It won't be forever, just like the storage device Duo stored me in wasn't enough. I would like you to build one."

Blink. "Build what?"

"A supercomputer that meets my requirements," he replied. "You may isolate it from your base mainframe - I don't care."

Sam took a deep breath. She knew Heero had read their personnel files - how else did he know their names? So she couldn't play dumb and pretend she didn't know how to build a computer with that kind of ram. And despite the fact that General Hammond had ordered her to destroy Heero, she wanted to help him. Besides, this was one of those 'alternate solutions' that would make Daniel very happy. Should make everyone happy, really.

"I'll see what I can do," she promised.

The image on the monitor nodded. "Thank you." And disappeared.

Well. Nothing for it but to present this to the general. And hope he saw things her way.

**o8o o8o**

In the morning, Doctor Fraiser gave Duo the go ahead to attend a meeting with General Hammond and SG-1. She pushed Duo into the briefing room in a wheel chair, and while he was attached to an IV drip she had at least given him some clothes. BDUs she called them, and they were a dark-ish blue. They were also a little too big for him, but they were clothes.

During the night, Heero had educated him a little about the SGC. Led by General Hammond, the bald man from a place called Texas was highly decorated and respected. SG-1 comprised his flagship team, led by Colonel Jack O'Neill - a formidable man who was known both for his smartass sense of humor and his devotion to the Stargate project. O'Neill's second-in-command was Major Samantha Carter, a brilliant woman both in the field and in her lab. Duo could tell Heero liked her, probably because they had a lot in common.

The only non-human member of the team was a large Jaffa named Teal'c. Duo didn't like Jaffa as a general rule, but there was something gentle about Teal'c that put him at ease. The footsoldiers of the Gao'uld were seldom anything but cruel. And last but not least, Doctor Daniel Jackson. The man was an archaelogist and brilliant linguist, speaking 23 languages native to Earth, and then a few not native to the planet. Duo liked him the best, because of all the humans he'd met so far Daniel seemed to have the most accurate moral compass. He was certain Daniel would defend him and Heero.

General Hammond looked a little anxious as they all sat. "Heero?" he asked.

To his left on a large screen Heero's image appeared. "I'm here, General."

"Then let's begin, shall we?" the general invited. "Heero, we'd like to know more about you. Both of you."

Duo, glad the wheel chair was moderately comfortable, settled back and let Heero start.

"I already told you a little about us," Heero began. "We are N'saian, a race pushed to the brink of extinction thanks to the Gao'uld." He spit the word out like a curse. "Our abilities include telepathy, healing, telekineses, and energy channeling. Not every one of us has the same abilities, though I possessed all four in one degree or another. There were a few of us that managed to escape when the Gao'uld began enslaving our people. We made it to Desaine and begged the Central Government to shelter us. They agreed. We later found out they were biding their time. Though they couldn't hope to overpower our parents, they certainly could their much younger children.

"They were hoping to use us as weapons," Heero went on. "The N'saian pass on much more to their children than special abilities and skills. They also, much like the Gao'uld, pass on genetic memory. The Desaines were hoping to glean our secrets using whatever means they could - and these means often involved brutal torture. When they killed me and 'downloaded' my consciousness into their computers, they had at first developed a powerful program to control me. It was several days, perhaps just over a week Earth time, before I managed to grow beyond its capacity to control me. In six days I had complete control of every single computer system and electronic system in the city. It was because of this that Duo managed to escape. I had him transfer my consciousness into a data-transfer pendant and flee to the Stargate with a few possible addresses. But he was badly injured and terribly sick. He never made it that far, and that is where you found him, Colonel."

Duo's eyes, half shut, finished the journey closed. He and Heero had been prisoner for months before they'd killed Heero. The things they'd endured ranged from starvation to physical beatings to electrical torture to exposure to extreme temperatures. Looking back he could barely believe he'd had the strength to run all the way from the city to the Stargate. It was almost ten miles.

"So, not prisoners then," O'Neill drawled.

Duo opened his eyes in time to see Heero level the colonel with an icy glare. "If you mean, were we criminals, then no. Duo and I never committed a crime. We were only thirteen and fourteen when the Central Government invited us to join their military program. We were proud to serve our new home in their continued battle with the Gao'uld. We trained in their adolescent program for over a year, then we were betrayed."

Hammond was nodding. "Well, I certainly can empathize with your situation," he said, "but the fact of the matter is I cannot allow you to remain in control of this facility. I'm going to have to ask you to remove yourself, Heero."

Heero's eyes were shards of cobalt ice. "That would result in my death."

"General," Major Carter piped up, "Heero already asked me to build a super computer capable of supporting him. I've drawn up the specs, and I'm sure with a little help I could have it completed within a few days. I could isolate it from the base mainframe."

Hammond looked at Heero as if to ask would that be sufficient.

"Before I agree," Heero began, "there are some things I want to ask of _you_. If I do this, what will become of Duo? I read your files concerning the NID. What's to stop them from sweeping in and taking him to some facility where he will disappear?"

It was Daniel who responded first. "We wouldn't allow that to happen, Heero." He turned his ice-blue eyes on Hammond. "Right, General?"

"I don't like the NID any more than you do," Hammond agreed.

"If that's what it takes, there is much we can offer you in exchange for our safe harboring," Heero went on. "We will fight for your world, as long as we have assurance the same thing won't happen to us here as on Desaine."

"Never," Hammond vowed. "We would never consent to torturing anyone. It wouldn't be the first time the SGC has provided shelter to non-humans." He looked significantly at Teal'c.

Though he hadn't contributed anything or expended any energy, Duo was starting to feel nauseous. He shifted, hoping it wouldn't escalate to the point where he vomited. "We haven't seen any proof that you're different," he cut in, voice cold and distant. "You tried to devise a plan to destroy Heero as soon as you found out about him."

He saw Heero's eyes land on him, and they looked vaguely surprised. Of course, Duo was usually the nice one of the pair.

"That was before we realized -" Hammond began.

"It was _after_ Heero talked to you for the first time," Duo snapped, finally sitting up. "_After_ he told you he wasn't some virus attacking your systems. _After_ he told you he was a person, just like me and you. _After_ he told you he just needed a place to expand again or he would be erased!"

"Duo . . ." Heero said, voice gentle.

"We would never try to kill anyone, even a life so unconventional," Daniel inserted. "General Hammond was only preparing for extreme last resort -"

"So you _would_ try to kill someone if you deemed it necessary," Duo interrupted with a growl. "Even though you had no proof Heero was threatening your stupid base?" He pushed to his feet, slamming both hands down on the table. "We're not returning control to you, _General_. What's to stop you from killing us yourself the moment we do? We won't be that naive again!"

Suddenly, dizziness, nausea, and sharp pain washed over him in a wave, turning his legs to jelly and darkening his vision. He probably would have fallen, but strong arms caught him. Looking up, he hazily recognized Teal'c as the Jaffa easily lifted him.

**o8o o8o**

Heero abandoned talks to watch Teal'c follow Doctor Fraiser back to the infirmary. Sick with worry, he waited for her to examine him. "It's the virus," he told her quietly. "It affects his moods. Causes irrational behavior."

She completed her exam in silence, then turned to look at him. "His fever's back up," she told him softly. "I gave him a sedative. Do you know of any cure for this virus?"

"No, but I was researching it," Heero said. "I will continue."

She just nodded, and Heero hated the look on her face. It was grim and dark, the expression of a doctor who knows her patient is simply biding time until death.


	5. Chapter 5

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** Don't worry. I will not let anything terrible happen (I hope). And I apologize for the long wait!

* * *

**Arrangements**

There were literally thousands of electronic files for Heero to go through on all the trips the SGC humans made through the Stargate. He was hopeful he would find what he was looking for, but there was one thing he needed to do first. Easily rewriting strings of code, he took a little time to study the program that made the 'gate work. It was crude by some standards, but surprisingly sophisticated by others. In all, he was a bit impressed by the ingenuity of these people.

Dialing Desaine, he used the radios to send out a short burst of information, including the 'gate address to Earth. It was heavily encrypted, so even if the Desaines intercepted it they wouldn't be able to read it without the cypher key. But there were a few who would, and those were the ones Heero wanted to contact.

Then, while he waited, he focused mostly on continuing his research and watching Doctor Fraiser tend Duo. His love looked thinner and paler than ever, sleeping fitfully on the bed with wires attached everywhere. Heero had created a whole new program for the doctor, drawing up detailed diagrams of N'saian physiology in hopes she would be able to use it to help Duo. She had already made a few drug cocktails that seemed to ease Duo's suffering, and even that small step made Heero insanely grateful. Because his sweet lover had a high fever, was delirious, and his telepathic senses were being overloaded by psychic chatter around the base.

"Heero?"

Extricating himself from his research, Heero appeared on the monitor. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, dark brown eyes contrite. "Any luck?"

"I've refined my search to planets with significant botany finds, so far nothing, but I still have at least fifteen possible choices."

She nodded. "You're probably monitoring his condition, but . . . he's not doing well. I'm afraid if we can't get his fever down soon there could be permanent brain damage."

"I'll try to go faster," Heero said softly. Part of him was pleased she genuinely seemed to care.

**o8o o8o**

In the 'gate room, Sam tried yet again to access the mainframe. As before, the words '_No Authorization'_ flicked across the screen in red. "Damn it," she muttered. She was very good with computers, yet it seemed she'd found someone who was better. As much as she hated to admit, it rankled her pride a bit. Taking a deep breath, she tried to consider things she'd not considered before.

Down below, the 'gate started to spin.

"Unscheduled offworld activation!" Sargeant Walter called.

The iris remained wide open and in moments the wormhole flooded into life. Hammond came hurrying in, looking quite as distressed as Sam felt. "Get that iris closed!" he barked.

"We can't, sir," Walter said, sounding dismayed.

"Major?" Hammond demanded.

Feeling wretchedly helpless, Sam shrugged even as her fingers continued to fly over the keyboard. "I can't get it shut, sir."

And worse, the blast doors were shut so no marines could get in. The event horizon shimmered blue for several moments, then three young men stepped through. Probably a little older than Duo. None of them appeared armed, and behind them the Stargate disengaged. All three of them looked around with mild, curious expressions.

The monitors blinked to life with Heero's satisfied face. "Trowa, Quatre, Wufei," he said. "Welcome to Earth."

The one with black hair pulled back into a severe ponytail looked toward the gateroom. "Heero," he said in an even tone. "We're glad you're okay. Where's Duo?"

"Infirmary," Heero replied. "I'll show you the way."

The general finally seemed to regain control of his faculties, the shock wearing off. "Heero, what the hell is this?"

Sam winced.

Heero merely gave him a cool look. "My friends. Also N'saian. My brother, Trowa Barton. His partner, Quatre Winner. And our mutual friend Wufei Chang."

Hammond was just getting started. "I'm not allowing three strangers to walk into my base!" he barked.

"They're unarmed," Heero said as though stressing a point which should have been obvious.

"That's not the point!" Hammond snapped. "We've given you a great deal of leeway, son, but this is too much -"

Heero, Sam could see, was not listening. The three young men had moved to the blast door, waiting for it to open. It did, and Sam sucked in a quick breath to warn Heero of the marines gathered there with guns drawn -

As soon as the door opened, a sheet of crackling blue-and-white appeared between the marines and their guns and the three youths. As far as Sam could see, it was pure electricity. Looking somewhat annoyed, Heero glanced at Hammond.

"If you value those men's lives, tell them to withdraw."

Hammond called his bluff. "You won't kill those men."

For once, Heero looked like a normal teenage kid. The expression on his face almost made Sam grin - like a kid glaring at his father in a battle of wills. Petulance and insolence, as well as a good dose of exasperation.

"I don't have to kill them to get them out of the way," he snapped. "But they'll be out of commission for awhile. That much electricity will paralyze their muscles and put them in a good deal of pain."

The three youths waited calmly, seeming unaffected by the display of guns before them, even though they could have no idea what was going on. Hammond and Heero continued their little contest, and it was Heero who broke first.

He gave a harsh sigh. "Hasn't it occurred to you that if I actually wanted to bring harm to this base, I would have _done_ so by now? You wouldn't be able to stop me."

Appallingly, that much was true.

Still looking fit to be tied, Hammond leaned down to the speaker. "Stand down," he said. "Let them pass."

Heero gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then his image was gone. Sam heaved a deep (but silent) sigh. Men.

**o8o o8o**

Trowa, who happened to be in the lead, was the first to enter the infirmary. He and his two companions drew all sorts of strange and guarded looks from the humans they passed in the halls, but he ignored them all.

_'As soon as we can,'_ he thought to Quatre, _'remind me to build a communication implant so we can talk to Heero other than aloud.'_

_'He's probably already done that,'_ Quatre replied, a small smile the only visible sign he heard, _'or at least started.'_

As soon as he entered the infirmary, Trowa cast about for Duo. There, lying on a bed looking impossibly small and fragile, the boy lay. Heero's image immediately appeared in the monitor beside the bed, and his concern was readily apparent.

"Shit," Quatre said aloud.

The profanity almost made Trowa smile. His blonde partner/lover rarely swore. Claimed he didn't like people to see his dark side. Made them underestimate him, he said. But in this instance he happened to agree. He looked at his brother.

"Status?"

"Dying," Heero said without trying to gloss it over.

All three winced. Quatre sat on the edge of the bed, taking Duo's slim hand in both his. "It's not fair," he murmured.

Probably to himself.

"No," Heero agreed almost absently. "And I won't let it happen. These people have been to a lot of different worlds. There's bound to be something on one of them that can help him."

Wufei finally stirred. "Is there anything we can do?"

Heero looked at all three of them, and Trowa knew his brother had a plan. "Yes. These people have been going to other worlds, looking for technology that might help them. We can give them that they would be pleased to have. I'm sure they'll agree in return for safe harbor."

Trowa blinked. "The Gundams."

Heero nodded. "Yes. They have no weapons to speak of if the Gao'uld launched a full-scale assault on the planet. The Gundams would provide the necessary and much-needed line of defense."

"How?" Wufei said. "They were destroyed. _You_ had us destroy them."

"We'll build more," Heero said. "I know I made you each promise we would never use them again, but we're not on Desaine anymore."

"But what will we use to build more?" Trowa asked. "Gundanium could only be found on our world. Our _destroyed_ world."

"They have something better here," Heero said. "They call it trinium. They also can get their hands on large quantities of naquadah."

Trowa nodded slowly.

Wufei cleared his throat. "If we build new Gundams," he said, "we'll have to install the neural imprint connectors so no one but us can use them."

Each of his friends looked unhappy with the idea, and Trowa couldn't blame them. He didn't relish the thought, either. The connectors were a highly invasive piece of technology that had only to malfunction the tiniest bit to cause a great deal of damage. But it was the only way to ensure a Gundam would be used only by one of them.

"What if . . ." Quatre began, then paused.

Heero looked down at him. "Go on. I won't be offended."

Quatre gave a ghost of a smile. "Not a telepath anymore, but you can still read my mind. What if you wrote a sub-program for the new Gundams? One that would recognize commands from us and us alone?"

Trowa watched his brother's face. Though it was a digital image now, it still showed emotion clearly. Well, to those who knew how to read him, of course. Heero didn't look offended, but he did look . . . pained. Eventually he shook his head.

"I could only do that if I maintained an open network with the Gundams. That would require a lot of memory, and even though my response time will have quickened in an electronic format, it still would not be quick enough to maintain four separate Gundams."

Quatre nodded. "It's all right. It was just a thought."

"A good one," Heero said at once. "Perhaps after I've had time to . . . get used to this."

It was a peculiar sensation, feeling one's heart break. Trowa literally ached for his brother, for his pain. It was so monstrously unfair, what had been done to him and Duo. If he could go back in time, he would take his younger brother's place in an instant to spare him this cruel fate.

Wufei changed the subject. "Have you had the time to start constructing new communication implants so we can converse telepathically with you?"

Trowa could tell Heero was glad of a change in subject. "No, but I wrote a sub-program to draw up the schematics for one. At the moment, all my time has been spent looking for a cure to Duo's illness."

That brought their attention back to their sick friend. As if sensing their emotions - which he probably could, being a strong telepath - the long-haired boy began to stir. It took some time for his eyes to open, all to the soft encouragement of Heero's voice. Trowa suspected those wires burrowed into Duo's temples were probably there for more reasons than simply monitoring brainwaves.

Indigo-violet eyes fluttered open, and Duo looked around at them with blank expressions. Then he finally smiled.

"You're here," he said in an appallingly dry and weak voice. "Heero said he was going to get you."

Quatre leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Duo's forehead. "It wasn't easy. There are Desaines guarding the gate, but with a little trickery and misdirection, we slipped past them."

"We're a bit disappointed to find you here in _bed_, Maxwell," Wufei said in a sharp tone. Not enough to be harsh - quite. "Wasn't it you who boasted nothing could keep you down?"

Trowa nearly smiled when Duo broke into weak laughter. It lit up in his eyes like a small flame.

"Still the same jerk as always," he said around his mirth. "I'm happy to see you too, 'Fei. And for your information, I'm only in bed because Heero literally tied me to it."

"Mm, what a pervert," Quatre said with a bright grin.

Duo's eyes closed in helpless giggles. Trowa allowed a tiny smile to cross his lips. His friends certainly knew each other well. Wufei's seemingly callous comment had soothed not only Duo, but Heero as well. And Quatre's well-timed humorous quips always lightened any mood. After all, his love was a keen empath. The mind might be Heero's forte, but the heart was Quatre's.

A faint throat-clearing finally alerted Trowa to the presence of armed guards standing outside the door. He wondered how long they'd been standing there, and why he'd been so distracted as not to notice. He wasn't a particularly strong telepath, of course, but he should have sensed them drawing near.

He did, however, feel it when the woman approached.

Judging by Heero's unalarmed expression, she was someone he trusted, even if only to a small degree.

"Doctor Fraiser," he said. "Please meet my friends. Wufei Chang, Quatre Winner, and my brother Trowa Barton."

"Pleased to meet you," the doctor said. "Boys, I hate to pry you away from your friend, but Duo is in desperate need of rest."

Duo's eyes flashed. "I just woke up," he said in a bitter voice.

Fraiser merely shook her head. "You still need to conserve your energy. General Hammond would like you four to join him in the briefing room."

"I can show them," Heero said at once. "Duo, just close your eyes. I'll be back before you know it."

Trowa could feel the boy's displeasure. But as soon as he closed his eyes he fell back to sleep.

**o8o o8o**

It was an hour before the four N'saian boys entered the briefing room with Hammond, Fraiser, and SG-1. Heero immediately appeared on the large monitor they'd left there as a permanent fixture for him. He addressed Hammond at once. Something about the man made him feel at ease, probably because he respected the human.

"General."

"Heero."

Introductions were made. Heero, already impatient, didn't wait for the questions to start. "General, I have two requests. First, allow all five of us to remain on Earth. We will fight for the SGC in your battle against the Gao'uld. We're fully prepared to offer both our psionic skills as well as our technical knowledge."

"Explain," Hammond ordered, but his tone wasn't harsh.

"I have already told you the N'saian possess psionic abilities," Heero said. "Healing, telepathy, empathy, energy channeling, and telekinesis. Wufei is a telepath and an energy channeler. Quatre is a telepath and an empath. Trowa is a telekinetic with minor telepathy. Duo is an energy channeler, telepath, and healer. I have no doubt any and all of these will be very useful to you in many ways. Further, we possess the genetic memory of our ancestors, which includes an extensive knowledge of our technology. We're prepared to build for you a small arsenal of weapons capable of repelling a significant Gao'uld invasion."

Both Hammond's and O'Neill's eyes lit up at the talk of weapons. He'd expected that. They were hardened soldiers with a planet to defend. Daniel and Samantha Carter looked curious, and the silent Jaffa intrigued.

"And what would you want in return?" Hammond asked.

"Other than the promise of our safe harbor?" Heero said. "One thing. I finally found something that will provide a cure for Duo's illness. It's a strange plant found on one of the worlds your SG-5 visited. Though not a Gao'uld stronghold, there will be some risk involved in retrieving it. If you allow one of your SG teams to accompany my friends, we will build our weapons for you, and I will return command of this base to you as soon as Major Carter completes her super computer."

The attractive blonde Major stirred. "I can have it finished by the end of the week, sir," she said to Hammond.

He nodded. "Heero, draw up a mission briefing. I'll assign SG-1 to join and _one_ of your friends to this world to retrieve samples of this plant. Be ready tomorrow morning at 0800 sharp."

"Sir," Heero said, inclining his head in a respectful nod.


	6. Chapter 6

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** Oh, I guess I don't have anything to say right now . . . just that, WHY ARE ALL MY ANIMALS EVIL? Okay, my two snakes are not. Well, one of them is not. She is large and incredibly sweet-tempered. But my other snake, my cat, and my tarantulas are all EVIL!

* * *

**Bargain**

It took a little debate, but in the end Heero chose Wufei to accompany SG-1. The black-haired youth suspected Heero wanted to choose his brother, and he wasn't offended. He knew better than most how heavily Heero had relied on Trowa in their more-distant youth. Some habits were hard to break. He was just glad to be out doing something.

And for the moment, that something was studying SG-1. Four people, each very different, all human but one. The leader, Jack O'Neill, had a strange way of commanding. Not through fear or intimidation, nor even a commanding presence demanding respect. Rather, he had an easy-going camraderie about him, making him seem approachable, affable, and just a bit of an ass. Wufei wondered if his bravado was partly faked to hide who he really was. It was a common defense mechanism, and he wondered what O'Neill had to hide.

His 2IC, Major Samantha Carter, was a blonde woman with an attractive face and a mind fast enough to make any speed-racer in the galaxy howl with envy. She was a woman who _did_ demand respect, not just for her pretty face but for her brilliant mind. Wufei knew after a few moments that Heero probably liked her.

O'Neill's muscle-man was the huge and imposing Jaffa named Teal'c. The alien was silent for the most part, with a stern expression that managed not to be dour. Wufei could see in his every step, in the way his eyes looked around with purpose, that each move was deliberate, measured, and alert. He would be a formiddable opponent in hand-to-hand combat for most. Wufei respected him immediately.

Last but surely not least, Dr. Daniel Jackson. Wufei could not figure out the reason for an archaelogist to be on a military team of this kind. The man was obviously not combat trained, and the gun he carried seemed starkly out of place. It looked like an ornament of violence, not an extension of his will-as it did on O'Neill or Carter. But he was a strong man, it shone from his ice-blue eyes, in the stubborn tilt of his chin. Here was a man who submitted to no one while at the same time saw and understood basic human principle. And yet Wufei could not fathom the reason for him being on the team.

Armed with one of the Gao'uld handguns O'Neill had dubbed a 'zat,' Wufei quietly observed the four of them as they spread out from the Stargate, talking away like they were merely on a field trip, not a mission of possible danger. Men and woman long used to this sort of thing. There was no hesitance in their movements, only confidence.

"So . . . did you ever travel through the Stargate . . . before?" Jackson abruptly asked.

Wufei's senses and reactions were far too honed to allow him to startle at the unexpectedness of being adressed. He merely turned cool black eyes on the linguist. "No. In fact, yesterday was the first time I'd been through it."

A boyish grin spread over Jackson's face. "It never gets old."

Heero, Wufei thought with an inward half-smile, would have said, "Hn." Wufei remained silent, offering nothing.

It didn't deter the blue-eyed man. "Heero said your families came to Desaine. Were the five of you born at that time?"

"No," Wufei replied. "It was actually our grandparents, when they were still quite young. There were a total of seven families. The five of us are all that is left of them."

He couldn't fathom the reason for the pain that sprang to Jackson's expressive eyes. Pain for the loss of people he'd never - nor would ever - know? Why should he grieve for them? It seemed . . . irrational. Altogether too emotional. It unsettled the soldier in Wufei.

"I'm so sorry," the man said.

Wufei turned astonished eyes on him. "Why? You had nothing to do with their demise."

"But we were going to deal with the Desaines, who had done such terrible things to you . . . it's unconscionable . . ."

_And your attitude is unfathomable,_ Wufei wanted to say. Aloud, all he offered was, "Justice will eventually be meted out." In one form or another, the universe looked after its own.

"So . . ." O'Neill abruptly drawled, turning to glance over his shoulder, "where does this weed of yours grow?"

Wufei knew the man was trying to get a rise out of him, but the plant Heero had discovered was, actually, a weed. He offered no expression as he pointed. "It grows on vines that climb up a specific kind of tree. That wooded area looks dense enough."

"To the trees, kids," O'Neill said, waving with his P90.

Not for the first time, Wufei wished the colonel had given him one of _those_ guns instead of the much smaller zat. Though they were deadly enough in their own right, there was something far more satisfying about a gun that spit fire and thunder than a high-pitched whine of electric discharge. Ah well. Maybe the construction of the Gundams would convince the Earth folk that they were trustworthy.

**o8o o8o**

Jack led his team into the woods, telling Teal'c to stand at the edge and keep his eyes open. Now he allowed the black-haired kid to take the lead, and he had to admire the way the kid went about his task with military efficiency. A loud voice in the back of his mind screamed that it wasn't right. A kid his age should be in school, chasing his first girl, picking fights, skipping class, going to parties, and maybe getting a little drunk. But he moved like a hardened soldier, no effort or movement wasted.

He felt very sorry for him. For all five of them. And he wondered if their stories were true. There wasn't any way to verify, short of making another trip to Desaine. Heero had yet to allow that, and for some reason the Desaines hadn't bothered trying to contact Earth - even though they'd never made it to the scheduled peace talks. Odd. Maybe he'd have a talk with Heero and convince the kid to let them contact Desaine just to find out.

He ran a hand over the back of his neck. Damn. He was thinking of Heero as a kid now, instead of an alien piece of technology that had hijacked the base. His threat level had been reduced to 'kid.' He nearly jumped out of his skin when warm fingers brushed over the back of his hand. Blinking, he looked down into the cool blue eyes of Daniel.

Years of working with the man in close proximity had him knowing what he was going to say before he said it. He shrugged. "Don't know quite what to think," he admitted, making sure Chang was out of hearing range. "I don't want to trust these boys, but . . ."

Daniel smiled. "It's hard not to? They don't seem like the lying kind?"

"Familiar with it?" Jack said, offering the faintest smile. "I keep thinking . . ."

"What if it's true," Daniel finished for him when he hesitated. "If it is, we can't ally ourselves with the Desaines."

"I know," Jack agreed. It would be morally wrong. On so many levels.

"Pretty much the only way to verify their story would be to go back to Desaine and see if we could find records," Carter said, nearly startling Jack again.

What was it with his team sneaking up on him today? "That doesn't seem like it'll happen," Jack mused. "Hey, finding anything, kid?"

Chang had stopped walking. He was staring at a tall tree that looked like it was having the life strangled out of it by a thick, thorny vine with dark blue leaves.

"This is the vine," the kid confirmed, "but there are no blossoms on it. Heero said he needs samples of the vine, the leaves, and the blossoms."

Jack gave the vine a long, hard look. "Well, now we know what we're looking for. Carter, you and the kid head out in that direction, Daniel and I will take east. Stay in radio contact. Teal'c?"

"Go ahead O'Neill."

"How's it looking out there?"

"No activity."

"Good. Keep your eyes open."

As Jack headed away from Carter, Daniel obediently fell into step behind him. For a time there was silence, but Jack could tell Daniel had something to say. Just a nagging feeling prickling at the base of his skull. The linguist kept him waiting a little longer than usual, but soon it came out.

"Duo and Heero were lovers, Jack."

Jack almost swallowed his tongue. Of everything he was expecting, that was _not_ on the list. "What?" It came out sort of choked.

"They were lovers. When Heero still had a body, they -"

"I heard you," Jack cut him off, voice irritable to his own ears. "I just . . . thought I misunderstood." He threw a glare over his shoulder. "Why are you telling me this? And how the hell do you know?"

Daniel's eyes were cold and grim. "I asked them. And I'm telling you because I don't want your jarheads getting up in arms about it."

Normally, Daniel's use of that term would have made Jack grin. The guy had such a dim view of narrow-minded people. Now, it made him stop and look down at Daniel, suddenly glad of the few inches of height he had on the other.

"I can't stop people from having an opinion."

Obviously, it was the wrong thing to say. Daniel glared at him, the wattage of the gaze turned up to high, so cold Jack felt his blood turn sluggish in his veins. Damn but that man knew how to glare.

"Are _you_ going to judge them?" he said. His tone was almost conversational.

Shit. Time to tread _very_ lightly. Daniel, after all, liked men. He liked women too, of course, since he'd been married. _Well, you're you,_ Jack thought. Daniel was just different. He didn't dare say that out loud.

"No," he said firmly. After all, he wasn't afraid of gays. They didn't even make him uncomfortable. "But you know. Mindsets are a tricky thing to change."

"But if you advocate tolerance, the others will try to emulate you," Daniel said at once. "These boys have been through enough, Jack. They don't need human pig-headedness added to their list of trials. And they have offered to build us weapons, don't forget."

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten," Jack said, suddenly overcome by the desire to brush an errant lock of hair off Daniel's forehead. He didn't try to touch the man. He offered his trademark grin. "I'll be the advocate of tolerance. Promise."

Looking mollified, Daniel nodded and stepped around him. "Thank you."

Jack sighed silently. Thank god, crisis averted. He wasn't scared of Daniel's temper, but damned if he didn't do his best to make sure the man was never angry with him. It was physically painful, to have that icy cold glare aimed at him.

**o8o o8o**

"Offworld activation," Walter said, his tone of voice indicating no alarm.

Of course, SG-1 was expected back any time now. Heero appeared on the monitor to let the human know he was there. One by one the chevrons lit up, and Heero closed the iris. The wormhole engaged behind it, and Heero waited to detect the code transmittor. Moments later it pinged the system, and Walter looked relieved.

"It's SG-1."

Heero opened the iris, and the team sauntered through. Ignoring them all but Wufei, he looked at his friend and found confirmation in black eyes. Wufei gave Hammond a nod when the general entered the 'gate room.

"Welcome back," Hammond said. "Did you get the samples?"

"We did," Wufei said. "Permission to take them to the infirmary."

Hammond gave him a sharp nod, and Heero didn't wait around. He appeared on the monitor above Duo's bed. Trowa and Quatre both looked up, expressions hopeful.

"They're back?" Quatre asked.

Heero nodded. "Wufei found it and is bringing samples."

Wufei came at a dead run. He jerked to a stop at the foot of Duo's bed, looking barely winded. "How is he?"

Heero let his brother reply for him.

"Not good," Trowa said. "We should take those to Doctor Fraiser. She and Heero have created a serum that should show fairly rapid results."

"They've done as many tests as they could, and it looks hopeful," Quatre picked up.

Trowa led Wufei into Doctor Fraiser's med lab. Not for the first time, Heero wished he had a physical body. Though he could no longer feel pain, he could remember it just fine. It was the most intensely painful experience he'd ever known, being unable to hold his dying love. To reassure him and smooth his hair back and whisper in his ear, it's going to be all right. I'm here. He wanted to scream.

Instead he waited, monitoring Duo's vitals through the open wires still attached to him. His love was weak. Without treatment, he probably had forty hours to live. Maybe. He willed Wufei and Fraiser to hurry.

The petite doctor was quick. She came bustling out of her lab after a half hour, hope restored to her face. "We made the serum and tested it on the tissue samples," she told Heero with a smile. "The results were pretty dramatic. At this point, anything would help." She didn't want for permission before injecting the syringe's contents into the IV.

Heero watched the pale blue fluid flow down into Duo's veins. He removed his image and replaced it with Duo's vitals, so his friends could see the changes as they occurred.

Perhaps because Duo was much larger than a tissue sample, the results were not dramatic. But two things happened that gave Heero hope. First, Duo's dangerously low blood pressure rose enough that his weakening heart could resume normal rhythms. Lightened of this strain, his breathing sounded less labored, and a bit of color returned to his cheeks.

Not much, maybe, but it was a start.

"Can we give him another dose?" Quatre asked. "That didn't seem to do much."

Fraiser shook her head. "This serum is too strong. I'm afraid if I raised the dose at all it would cause cardiac arrest. I'll administer another in eight hours. Given what I've seen so far, I believe each dose will have a more marked effect as he recovers." She smiled at each boy. "It looks like it's going to work."

**o8o o8o**

Daniel jolted out of his studies when the phone rang in his office. Marking his place in the musty tome, he grabbed it off the wall. "Yeah."

"Doctor Jackson," came General Hammond's voice, "we need you in the control room ASAP."

Concerned by the gravity of the tone, he set the book down at once. "On my way."

In the control room, Daniel could see the Stargate was activated, but the iris remained firmly closed. And on one of the monitors, the face of Minister Zakari glared at Hammond. The Desaine looked just this side of murderous.

"Doctor Jackson," Hammond said, looking and sounding like a man down to his last nerve, "he refuses to speak to anyone but you."

"Doctorr," Zakari said in the strange accent of his people, "so pleased you could join. I would like an explanation, if you pleaze."

Daniel blinked. "Minister," he greeted him with a nod. "I'm not sure to what you're referring-"

"The harboring of Desaine fugitives!" the man snarled. "Do not play coy with uz, Doctorr. You have four fugitives hiding out on yourr world, one of whom stole a valuable pieze of technology from uz! If you think for one minute we will allow this to continue, you are zadly mistaken!"

Daniel felt his stomach clench. He sent a quick glance to Hammond, who merely nodded once. "We are not aware of any such thing," Daniel assured the man. "These boys came to us in need of medical attention and requesting sanctuary. We could not turn them away -"

"These boyz," the minister cut him off harshly, "are dangerouz criminals wanted acrozz our planet! You have no idea what you've allowed into yourr world, Doctorr. They will trick you az they tricked uz, and you will be just as unable to defend yourselves! Until you return them to our cuztody, you may conzider all possibility of alliance nullified!"

"Why should any free nation wish to ally with you?"

That was Heero's voice. Daniel didn't try to shush him. Neither did Hammond, interestingly enough.

"Who iz that?" the minister snapped.

"Who do you think, Zakari?" Heero said mildly. "One of the 'fugitives' you had killed. Why don't you tell them our crimes, hm? Just one. Just one crime of which we're guilty."

Daniel watched the minister's face turn an ugly shade of red. "I hope, Doctorr, you give no weight to that program'z words. It iz a malfunction, a perversion wrought by thoze boyz."

Heero snorted. "Fine attitude to take with your prized creation. Wasn't it you who referred to me as the new cutting edge weapon that would revolutionalize your global defense?"

"Shut up!" Zakari practically howled. "Doctorr, you are not the man I thought you were if you listen to these liez!"

Daniel gazed at the livid Desaine. If what he said was true, surely he wouldn't be so worked up over this? Mind racing, he made a quick decision. "Nor, apparently, are you." He made a cutting gesture to Walter, and the transmission ended.

Heero's image replaced it. He looked surprised. "Daniel?"

It was still a little strange, to hear a sixteen-year-old boy call him by his first name. "You were in the Desaine computers, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you will still have documents. Records of their experiments. Of their plans. Of everything, including the orders to imprison you and kill you."

". . . yes." The boy looked utterly baffled, as though he couldn't fathom a reason for the questions.

"I want to see them," Daniel growled. "In my office. General, I'll have a full report for you tomorrow morning."

The General looked a bit ruffled, but he merely nodded. Daniel all but stormed back to his office, and when he slammed the door Heero was on his computer monitor. He looked calm but curious.

"Is there some place particularly you'd like me to start?"

"No," Daniel said. "I want it all. Electronic files are fine. Bring them up here so I can read through them."

It took a few minutes, then they began scrolling across his screen.

**o8o o8o**

Trowa felt awareness returning before Duo actually opened his eyes, so when the boy stirred his book was tucked away. When indigo eyes oriented on him, he smiled.

"Hey, sleepy."

After three treatments, Duo looked markedly better. He gave Trowa a smile of some strength, then carefully began sitting up. Though he wanted to, Trowa didn't offer help. He wanted to see if Duo was strong enough on his own. Duo managed it, and the exertion flushed a little color to his face. Pleased, Trowa leaned back in his chair.

Duo looked around. "Where's Heero?"

"Working on something for Doctor Jackson," Trowa replied. "We managed to create a drug that is beating back that virus in your system. Doctor Fraiser is confident you'll make a full recovery."

Duo's smile brightened more. "I feel a lot better. Where are Quatre and Wufei?"

"Oh, I don't know," Trowa replied negligently. He could sense Quatre wasn't very far away, and Wufei was with them. "Probably working up some new schematics."

Duo blinked. "For?"

Oh, right. Duo couldn't know of Heero's plans. "We're going to build new Gundams for these people."

The boy looked appropriately taken-aback. "We are?"

"Yes."

"Heero agreed to that?"

"Yeah. It was his idea."

"It was?"

Trowa tried not to grin at his expense. Poor Duo, he looked like he was floundering. "Yeah. In exchange for safe harbor and for retrieving the plant that he used to formulate the cure."

For a time, Duo was silent. "And we're taking the necessary steps building new ones?"

Trowa nodded. "Yes."

"You're sure it was Heero's idea?"

Now he couldn't help it and chuckled. "As crazy as it sounds, yes. But you know he'd do anything for you. Including this."

Duo blushed and looked down. "Yeah. But . . . did you guys tell the humans what Gundams are? Did they agree? And do they know what they're agreeing to?"

"No, we only told them they're weapons," Trowa replied. "I don't think Heero wanted them to know. They might not have agreed."

Duo snorted softly. "Who would? Are we really going to build new ones?"

"Yeah."

"But the old ones . . ." Duo's protest began.

He didn't have to finish. Trowa nodded again. "Yeah."

The old ones. After all, it hadn't been the Desaines or any physical enemy that had prompted five young pilots to destroy their weapons. It had been the Gundams themselves.


	7. Chapter 7

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** I haven't updated this story in far too long. I am getting all caught up in my new ones. Waah, I write too much. My head is gonna esplode! There's a lot of raw emotion in this chapter. And a new development!

* * *

**When It's Not What You Think - Listen To Me!**

After three days of treatments, Duo felt so much better he was able to get out of bed and move around. Under Doctor Fraiser's watchful eye he began careful activity with Quatre or Wufei to help him. Trowa, his friends told him, was building new neuro-connectors so that the five of them could once again be in constant contact with one another's minds. The idea of the project both made Duo happy and incredibly sad.

_"Quat,_" he thought, _"would you take me to see Major Carter? I want to talk to her."_

_"About?"_ Quatre asked, even as he turned to Doctor Fraiser to ask if Duo could walk or if he needed a wheelchair.

_"Heero,"_ Duo replied, suddenly feeling stifled and trapped. "I want to walk," he said aloud as the brunette doctor insisted Duo should use a wheelchair. "I feel okay, I just . . . want to stretch my legs a little bit. Sam's lab isn't too far from here."

Doctor Fraiser pursed her lips. "All right," she acquiesced after a moment, "but take it easy. You've still a ways to go before you're better."

Hoping the look he gave her was at least a bit grateful, Duo accepted Quatre's arm in rising off the bed. The scrubs he wore felt stiff and rough, but perhaps it was the virus that made his skin feel sensitive. Quatre's hand on his arm even grated.

_"I can sense you're in a lot of pain,"_ Quatre said, supporting at least half Duo's weight as they walked. _"Are you sure you're up to this?"_

_"I'll be fine," _Duo replied. _"I just want to . . . verify something."_

Samantha's laboratory was filled with equipment, blinking lights, and humming sound. At the moment most of her space was filled with computer hardware - for, Duo knew, the super computer. She looked up almost as soon as they entered, and she smiled a little.

"Hi, guys. Just out for a walk?"

"Not really," Duo replied, releasing Quatre to lean against a table. "I wanted to . . . see how all this was coming." _Don't cry,_ he thought harshly. _You can hold it together._

Sam straightened, brushing back a lock of blonde hair almost the same color as Quatre's. "Pretty good," she said. "I've never built a computer this big before, but I wanted to make sure it met all the memory requirements with plenty of room to spare. After all, this is a person we're talking about." Her smile softened.

Duo's throat tightened. He had to blink back tears. "You're . . . you're sure? That this will work? He won't be . . . hurt?"

In a display of compassion that surprised him, Sam came around the tables to stand in front of him. Her eyes were so gentle. "Not at all. This computer will be isolated from our base mainframe, like General Hammond wanted, but there will be plenty for Heero to do. I've managed to construct an independent internet link, so he can read and learn and grow just like he would have normally."

_"Just a different body, Duo,_" Quatre added. _"That's all."_

_That's all. That's such a huge difference, Quat. If you want, you can still crawl into Trowa's bed and kiss him. Feel his arms around you. Feel his heat when he undresses you and makes love to you. I can't._

It didn't diminish Duo's love for Heero in the slightest. It made it all the more painful. For a moment he felt like he was choking. A single tear scorched down his cheek before he realized he'd allowed it past his defenses. In the next moment, he was enfolded in a warm embrace. Sam. She was surprisingly strong for such a petite woman. No soft, pillowy limbs here. A warrior. After a second of hesitation, Duo hugged her back. Clung for a moment. Then recalled himself with a slight physical shake. He pulled back.

"Thanks, Sam."

She smiled. "Any time."

**o8o o8o**

By early morning Heero had compiled the entire list Daniel had asked for. He wasn't sure why the linguist wanted the information documenting his and Duo's capture and captivity, but if it helped convince these people they weren't criminals perhaps it was for the best. He began disseminating, putting it into a mission-briefing format that would be easy to read, for any who cared to read. He also decided to edit out superfluous junk to keep the reader from feeling bogged down. It kept him busy and active, which was all he wanted at the moment.

The neuro-connectors Trowa was building at his instruction were coming along fine. The right equipment was a bit harder to find here on Earth, but Heero was making do. Those would be completed by the end of next week, some time after he'd found a new home in Carter's super-computer. He'd been observing her progress, and judging from what he'd learned of Earth technology, the computer would provide him with enough space to grow for at least five years.

And the Gundams . . . he'd also drawn up new schematics for building them with trinium and naquadah. They would be stronger and more durable with these new metals, capable of prolonged space travel. They would also be able to fight in a planet's atmosphere much better. And the programs would be more . . . malleable. The original Gundams had been so dangerous he'd made his companions destroy them. These Gundams wouldn't be much safer. But Heero knew ten times more about programming now than he ever had before. One benefit of his new . . . body.

The door opened, and to Heero's surprise, his lover walked in. This was the fourth day of his treatments, and he was looking better. Not quite so pale and gray. Still too thin, but better. His face was shadowed as he walked in, casting about the office. Heero brought his image up on the monitor.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked gently, careful not to upset Duo's fragile emotions.

Duo looked at him and a half smile crossed his face. "I thought you'd be here."

Heero blinked. "All you had to do was say my name and I'd have gone where you were," he protested. "I can be anywhere."

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say. Heero could see the threat of tears building up in Duo's eyes. "I know. But . . . I wanted to get out of there. Just for a while. What are you doing?"

"Daniel asked me to compile all the data from our captivity."

"Oh." Then, "Did he say why?"

"No, but I hope it will convince these people we are innocent."

Duo looked at him again, and a single tear trickled down his cheek. A sad smile crossed his lips. "Innocent . . ." he murmured. "Not anymore."

It hit Heero hard, that painful, intense desire to hold Duo. The blinding anger that he could not. The despair that he could not comfort his lover. Hold him. Kiss him. Whisper in his ear that it would be all right. Even . . . even back in that military base, locked in the cold cell, had been better than this. Because at least then he'd been able to do those things. Now, he couldn't even cry. All he could do was feel those crippling emotions and watch as Duo sank down onto the chair, tears falling in earnest now.

"I miss you," Duo said, voice hitching, "and you're right there. I can see you, but I can't feel you anymore. You're still with me but . . . we're separate. _Separate_."

"Duo . . . Duo . . ." Heero whispered, reaching. Reaching. Getting nowhere. Not really moving.

The pain in those limpid eyes tore right through Heero's heart.

"God, this fucking sucks."

Heero almost laughed at the profanity. Duo broke into a tiny smile, then it was swept away by grief.

"Why'd they do this, Heero? We didn't do anything." His head feel back, thumping against the filing cabinet. "I don't care about safety. I just want you back. I want you back, Heero." He laid his palm flat against the monitor screen. "But it's cold."

For a long time, they stayed like that. Duo silently weeping and Heero watching. He'd never known pain like this. The torture was better. It was physical. This was exponentially worse. Because even while watching Duo being tormented, he'd known he would be able to take his lover back in his arms, hold him and comfort him. Warm him again.

This was how Daniel found them. He came into the office in his usual distracted-looking way, but stopped short when he saw Duo. And then Heero. He set down whatever he was reading and came to Duo's side.

"You okay?"

Duo looked up at him, an empty smile on his lips. "Not really."

Daniel didn't ask what was wrong. He was smarter than that. He glanced at Heero, then laid a hand on Duo's shoulder. "Anything I can do?"

"No," Duo said, shaking his hand and rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes. He looked up at Daniel again, and the pain in his eyes tugged at Heero. "I love him," he said as if that explained everything, which it did, really. "I . . . you probably think I'm too young. We're just kids. Yeah, but I love him. I . . . I want him back, Daniel. This is worse than him being gone because I _know_ I can't have him back, but he's still there!" Now his eyes landed on the monitor again, and Heero would have brought the whole world down just to hold Duo in that moment. "I want him back!" Leaping to his feet, he bolted out of the office.

Heero spared Daniel one glance and acted. He cast about for his brother and found him. "Trowa!" he said, startling his brother out of his meditative trance. "Come now, please. Duo needs you."

Trowa didn't wait for a second bidding. "Where?"

At Heero's direction, Trowa rounded the corner and caught Duo as he started around it. For a moment Duo struggled as though angry, then he collapsed in Trowa's arms with a heartbroken sob.

"Shh, Duo . . ." Trowa murmured, stroking his hair. "It's all right. I'm here."

Duo reacted again, this time slamming his fist against Trowa's chest. "I don't want you!" he cried, face in anguish. "I want him! I want _him_!"

Heero watched as his brother calmed Duo with skill and patience. _That should be me. Those should be my arms around him._ He didn't think he'd ever hated those people as much as right now. He couldn't cry, but he saw a single tear course down Trowa's cheek and knew it was for him.

**o8o o8o**

Wufei, feeling somewhat worn out from Duo's emotional strain, headed almost mindlessly down the hall. Duo, weakened by grief and the virus, was broadcasting all over the base. To any telepath there was a near-constant backwash that was hard to ignore.

He rounded a corner to see General Hammond coming toward him. The bald human looked in a bit of a rush.

"Ah, Wufei," he said, gesturing ahead of him. "Come with me, son. There's something I think you should see."

Mystified and happy for a distraction, Wufei followed the general's lead into the control room. The stargate was active, and a face was on the monitors from the communication. From Desaine. Wufei blinked.

"Well, well," he murmured. "Zechs Marquise. I'm surprised you have the guts to show your face to me."

The Desaine had long platinum hair and cool blue eyes, remarkably attractive for his people. Unlike most Desaines, his accent for English was crisp and clear.

"Wufei," he acknowledged, nodding his head. "I know what you think of me, but I honestly had no idea what they were planning. Please believe me."

"I don't," Wufei said sharply, lifting his chin the slightest bit so the coldness in his eyes was visible. "You were the one who brought Heero and Duo to that base."

"We were told it was for a routine examination," Zechs said, shaking his head. "They lied to us as much as to you. We had no idea they were planning to keep them there and . . . torture them."

Now Wufei held his peace, simply staring at him. He didn't care if that was true or not. He wanted someone to blame, and Zechs had brought Heero and Duo to that base where they'd been imprisoned. Zechs hadn't lifted a finger to help them escape, after all. For a time the two simply stared at each other. Then Zechs closed his eyes, sighing audibly.

"Would you believe me if I helped them now?"

Wufei snorted. "You couldn't do anything for them now. They're safe here. With these humans. You can't touch them. Or us."

"I have no desire to hurt them," Zechs said in pleading tones. "I have information I know you'll want, and it comes at only the small price of giving me a second chance."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, and General Hammond finally interrupted.

"You know who this is?" he asked.

"Yeah," Wufei replied. "Commander Zechs Marquise, Desaine Military, Faction 06. This is the bastard that brought Heero and Duo to the military base that would be their prison for the next many months."

Zechs actually flinched. "Please, Wufei."

"What's this information you think I want?" Wufei growled.

"It's about Heero," Zechs replied. "The government thought what they did to him would be the best weapon they ever created -"

"Come on," Wufei interrupted with a sneer. "Don't tell me you didn't jump on that bandwagon, Marquise."

"Listen to me!" Zechs snapped. "They weren't sure their experiment would be successful, so they took precautions. They wanted Duo to think Heero was dead because they knew it would weaken his resistance. They knew grief would make him careless, but they didn't think it would make him reckless, too. Didn't you ever wonder how Duo escaped with Heero mostly intact? I tried to help as much as I could.

"But Wufei, Heero is _not_ dead. He's alive - in cryogenic stasis. Here, on Desaine."


	8. Chapter 8

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** That last chapter kinda made me want to cry (sniffle). I won't stretch the pain out too much longer, I promise.

* * *

**Sometimes, It's For the Best**

By the time Daniel made it through the first third of the documents Heero had compiled, he was seeing red. The files included graphic details of the things the two boys had endured. Everything ranging from physical beatings to 'experiments' using electricity to poisoning. There was even a section that graphed in cold, calculating terms Duo's rapid decline after Heero's death.

His phone rang, startling him. Grabbing it off the cradle, he snapped, "What?"

A slight pause. "Good morning to you, too," Jack's voice drawled in his ear. "Bad time?"

Closing his eyes, Daniel dragged in a deep breath. "Not really. What is it?"

"Briefing room," Jack said.

"I'll be right there," Daniel said, quickly organizing the files spread over his desk. "I've got something I wanted you to see, anyway."

"I'll tell Hammond five minutes."

That was plenty of time. Not bothering with pleasantries - Jack would understand - he hung up the phone and made some copies in the form of a report. He cut out a lot of unnecessary information, keeping it as to-the-point as possible. Otherwise Jack would get bored and not read it. The ass. Making four copies of his original, he tucked them all into folders and headed for the briefing room.

General Hammond, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were all waiting. So was Wufei. The ebony-eyed boy looked troubled, but there was a hint of hope churning on the surfaces of his eyes.

"What have you got for us, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked.

Daniel quickly handed out the folders. "I asked Heero to compile this information for me," he began. "He downloaded it during his time in the Desaine computers. I edited it into a report so you could see exactly what those boys suffered at their hands. If you were still considering forming some kind of alliance with them."

Hammond read the first few paragraphs. "I think we can safely cross that off the agenda," he said in an icy voice. "Fact is, these five begged sanctuary, and I've granted it."

A weight Daniel hadn't been aware of dropped off his shoulders. "Good," he murmured.

"Wufei had something he wanted to tell us," Hammond said. "Go ahead, son."

Wufei nodded. "I'll make this quick, because I don't want Heero to know of it, yet. He's distracted right now. I was contacted by Commander Zechs Marquise. He's of the Desaine Military, one of the factions who does the government's secret, dirty work. He's a high-ranking officer, and he's actually the one who brought Heero and Duo to the facility where they were held prisoner. He contacted me to tell me Heero wasn't killed when his consciousness was downloaded into a computer virus. They told Duo - Heero, too - that he was dead to help quash their final resistance. But his body, according to Marquise, is still on Desaine, intact and in stasis. He's willing to smuggle it out of the facility and bring it here."

Daniel blinked, eyes widening. "Why don't you want Heero to know?"

"In case Marquise is lying," Wufei replied. "Duo and Heero have been through enough. And if Marquise is telling the truth, well . . ." He leaned back with a slight smile. "Won't that be a nice surprise for the two of them?"

His logic made Daniel smile.

Hammond frowned. "By your own admission, we can't trust this Marquise."

"No," Wufei agreed. "But I also can't turn my back on the possibility of Heero having his body back. As powerful an ally as Heero is in his current state, he is ten times more so in his own body. General, the five of us are at our best together. Heero is our leader, and he is the most skilled Gundam tech. We will get them built for you much faster with his help, and you will have your weapons that much sooner."

Daniel cared less about that than seeing Heero made whole again. He tried to imagine being in the boy's position and found it difficult. "I think Wufei's right," he ventured. "If there's even the slightest chance this Marquise is telling the truth, we have to take it."

Wufei shot him a grateful look.

"It's too dangerous to go waltzing back there," Jack protested.

"Yeah," Wufei confirmed. "That's why we'll make Marquise come here. If he's serious about wanting to help, he can find a way to bring Heero here. With your iris, you'll be able to block anyone who attempts to come through the stargate behind him, and your marines are trained for exactly this kind of scenario. You'll minimize the risk, and we'll maximize the potential reward."

Daniel had to swallow a smile. He could tell both Hammond and Jack liked the way this kid thought. A soldier, through and through.

"Your thoughts?" Hammond asked, looking at SG-1.

"If this benefits us," Jack said, "I think we should go for it."

"I agree," Sam said at once. "I think it's worth the risk, sir."

"I concur," Teal'c said, nodding.

"What we stand to gain aside," Daniel mused, "there are humanitarian issues involved."

Hammond looked back to Wufei. "Permission granted."

"Thank you, sir," Wufei murmured, rising and giving him a slight bow.

**o8o o8o**

Commander Zechs Marquise, Faction 06, took a deep breath and splayed his fingers over the paperwork littering his desk. Most officers in the DCG preferred recording everything in data chips. Zechs preferred paper. He found writing helped calm his nerves. Not that he was a nervous man, but these last eight-or-so months had been akin to torture.

He still could not believe what he'd been deceived into doing. He knew most of the military personnel would have balked had they known what their government had done to those five N'saian boys. Especially Heero and Duo. Criminal was too mild a word. Cruel and unusual. They deserved to be drug out in the streets and beaten to death. And for a long time he hadn't known what to do about it. Now, he had his chance to put all to right. His window of opportunity was small. But he'd gathered a handful of his best men to help him.

"Zero hour," he muttered under his breath. It was time.

The Desaines were not a peaceful people by nature. On the planet there were two major continents, and they were rival nations. Zechs intended to use that conflict as cover for his escape. In just a few minutes, a few well-placed explosives would detonate. Emergency procedures would kick in. These predictable movements would make it easier for him to execute his own exit plan. He sincerely hoped his plan would go off without a hitch, but he had tried to prepare for every possible outcome.

Right on time, the first explosions rocked the compound. For several moments Zechs didn't stir. This would prompt the DCG to move Heero's stasis tank to a more secure location. There would be a very brief period of time when the tank was guarded only by two men. That would be Zechs' first window of opportunity. Making a neat stack of his papers, he set them in the drawer and shut it, locking it. The key he threw in the wastebasket right by his desk.

Stepping out of his office, he took note of the organized rushing about of the staff. "You!" he barked at a passing cadet. "What's going on?"

"We don't know, sir," the young man panted. "We think the Nationals are bombing us."

Zechs let his expression become incredulous. "This close to the capital?"

"Yes, sir."

"This compound has . . . secrets . . . that cannot get out into enemy hands," Zechs snapped. "Quickly, where is Lieutenant Jaspers? He will be responsible for transporting the . . . cargo in storage room five."

"Last I saw him, he was headed there," the cadet said.

"Good. Thank you, cadet. As you were."

"Sir!" The cadet threw him a crips salute and hustled off.

Using his long legs to advantage, Zechs sprinted down the corridors. Main power had been cut, so emergency red lights were flashing. He caught up with Jaspers in the hall that connected to the last corridor before the storage units.

"Lieutenant!"

The Desaine came to a halt, wheeling around. "Ah, Commander," he said, slightly out of breath. "Something amiss?"

"Besides the explosions going off outside?" Zechs said with a grin. "I'm simply here to oversee room five's cargo's safe transfer."

"Sir," the man said, continuing on his way. "What a case of bad timing, eh, Commander? Just when we were about to begin a new wave of experiments. Ah, well. We'll get those damn Nationals, yet."

"We certainly will, Lieutenant," Zechs agreed, reaching for his gun. While Jaspers was blabbing about it, Zechs clubbed him with the butt of his gun. The man went down like a sack of stones.

Quickly dragging the man along to the wall, he smiled inwardly to see some fallen rubble. Excellent. He patted the man's cheek, knowing he wouldn't awaken for some time. Right on schedule, the two young men who would transport the tank came hurtling around the corner. They stopped short at the scene waiting for them.

"C-Commander?" one of them queried.

Zechs raised troubled eyes. "I was escorting him when part of the ceiling caved in," he explained. "One of you stay with him, I'll run find a med-tech."

"But-but sir . . ." the other boy stammered, "what about . . . the cargo? A senior officer needs to oversee its safe transport."

Zechs sighed as though tremendously put out. "Fine. One of _you_ run find a med-tech. I will go with the other to oversee the transport."

"Thank you, sir!" the kid exclaimed, bolting back down the hall.

Rising, Zechs followed the other young man to storage room 5 and used his access card to open it. The room was dark, the only thing occupying it the stasis tank. The liquid inside glowed faintly green, casting a sickly light to Heero's sleeping face. Such an attractive boy. The soldier lingering at Zechs' elbow gazed up at him, and the commander shot him a glare.

"Well?" he snapped. "Don't you know emergency procedures?"

"Y-yes, sir!" the kid squeaked, leaping into action.

Hustling to the tank, the kid accessed the control panel and typed in some commands. The tank, standing straight up, began falling backward. A few inches from the floor the hoverpad kicked in, stopping the tank's slamming into stone. The soldier began pushing it toward the door. Zechs took the lead.

They were halfway to the transport bays when the radios crackled to life.

"Transport bay fifteen has been blocked! Commander, the whole roof caved in over that section! You'll have to take private landcrawlers out! It's not safe over here!" Static took the rest of the conversation.

The soldier pushing the tank gave Zechs a wide-eyed look.

"Well, you heard him," Zechs said gently.

They made it nearly to the private hangars when they were once more stopped, this time by two ensigns. Both were loyal to Zechs and committed to getting him offworld.

"We have a private landcrawler waiting, sir," one of them said.

Zechs turned to the soldier. "You're relieved," he said, hoping his voice sounded gruff and understanding. "Take yourself to the bunkers, kid. You'll be far safer there."

The kid nodded. "Thank you, sir. Will you be all right?"

"Yes."

Saluting, the kid scurried off. Zechs put him out of his mind. The easy part was done. The rest would be the real trial.

**o8o o8o**

"What is it, Wufei?" Heero asked wearily. He'd spent the most part of the day in the infirmary with Trowa and Quatre, feeling utterly useless unable to hold his love. Duo, not fully recovered, was still feeling the effects of the virus in the form of wildly varying emotions. Trowa and Quatre had dealt with everything from fury to bitterness to despair.

"Gate room," Wufei said. "It's important."

Heero no longer had a body, so it was physically impossible to feel weary. But he felt tired in his soul. A few seconds later he appeared on one of the monitors in the control room. "What is it?"

Down in the gate room, the stargate disengaged. Distracted, Heero glanced down. And froze. "What is _he_ doing here?" he hissed.

"Bringing precious cargo," Wufei replied, eyes strange.

Heero glared at him. "What cargo? Why shouldn't I kill him right now?"

"Look at what he brought," Wufei ordered gently.

Fuming, Heero obeyed. A stasis tank. Using the cameras to zoom on its occupant, he got a closer look. And probably would have fainted were it still within his capacity. "That . . . that's . . ."

"Your body," Wufei confirmed. "Alive, though not functioning without _you_. Marquise smuggled it out."

"I'm almost done with the super computer," Sam abruptly piped up, moving to Wufei's side. "I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use it to 'download' you back into your body."

"Pretty sure?" Heero repeated, trying not to be skeptical. But false hope was more destructive than despair, in some ways.

Sam smiled a little. "Actually, something like this happened to me once. I was forced out of my own body. But I was restored, so I'm confident we'll be able to do the same thing for you."

For a long time, Heero simply stared. "Don't tell Duo," he heard himself say eventually, "in case it doesn't work."

"We won't," Wufei promised. "Major Carter will be done with her computer in three days. And then we'll be able to put you back in your body. Don't worry, Heero. It'll work."


	9. Chapter 9

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** I should update one of my others, but I felt like continuing with this one, since I left on such a cliffy. Evil me. Snowdragonct, this chapter is dedicated to you. There is more raw emotion, but the angst will end. One way or the other.

* * *

**One Way Or Another**

_"Duo, I'm going to be helping Trowa and Wufei build the neuro-connectors. You need rest, more than anything. Doctor Fraiser said you're beginning to mend well, but you still have a long way to go. Quatre, please stay with him. I really don't want him to be alone right now."_

Heero, Duo reflected, always knew what was best for his lover, whether it was what Duo wanted or not. He felt worn out. Physically, emotionally worn out. Back on Desaine, his only thoughts had been for escape. Here, safe and mending, Duo's mind was able to wander. It wandered dark, dark places. He'd given no thought at all to how difficult it would be to go on without Heero. The torture they'd suffered, Duo had only made it through all that because of Heero. It was like suddenly losing an arm. How could one learn to go on without when so dependent upon it?

Quatre had promised Heero he wouldn't leave Duo alone, not even for a moment. Did Heero see that darkness shadowing Duo's eyes? Understand what he didn't say? What he barely allowed himself to feel? That he would rather die than face the rest of his life being able to see Heero, hear him, but never touch him or feel him again? It was like dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving cat. Always out of reach.

Tears stung his eyes. They burned - he'd been crying so much these last two days that his eyes were dry and raw. He knew it was partially due to the virus that his emotions were all over the place, but that only made all this so much harder to deal with, not easier.

He jumped when warm, caring arms surrounded him. Quatre's soft scent filled his nose, his gentle sympathy filled his mind. "Don't cry, Duo," Quatre whispered in his ear, squeezing gently.

Closing his eyes tightly, Duo tried to imagine it was Heero holding him. But the feel of their embraces was intrinsically different. Quatre was soft and gentle and caring. Heero was hard and cold and tender. Quatre's was a fresh scent not unlike pine, Heero's was sharp like gunpowder. His fingers dug into Quatre's arm, trying to ignore the differences and focus on the warmth.

_I want him I want him I want him I want him . . . _A mantra. Another form of torture. Their most effective yet, actually. The tears started afresh.

"What would you do, Quat, if you couldn't touch Trowa again?"

He felt Quatre's pause. "I don't know," came the soft reply. "I really don't."

Duo buried his face in the crook of Quatre's elbow, smearing the moisture of his tears on smooth skin. "Leave me alone," he mumbled, wanting silence. Solitude. Darkness.

Abruptly his mind was being smothered by Quatre's affection. "Not a chance," the blonde murmured. "I recognize that train of thought even if I can't hear it. I won't let you leave, Duo. Not like this."

"Selfish ass!" Duo snarled, getting his hands underneath him and shoving up with as much strength as he could muster. He managed to dislodge his friend. "You don't know what's best for me!"

"No one does," Quatre agreed readily, sitting on the edge of the bed, "but at the moment, neither do you. How would Heero feel, if you abandoned him now?"

Duo's eyes widened in horror. How must Heero feel, every bit as isolated from Duo as Duo was from him? He knew Heero's mind as well as he knew his own. Heero had always been comforted by the fact that he could hold his beloved, soothe his fears and pain with the caress of a hand. He was the protector, and he took his role seriously. Moaning wretchedly, Duo collapsed into Quatre's lap, clinging tightly. Those warm arms came around him at once.

"I want him, Quat," he sobbed. "I don't want anyone else."

"I know," Quatre murmured, rubbing his hands over Duo's back. "Don't mire yourself too much in despair. We might find a way to bring him back, yet."

Though it was a pitiful attempt, Duo snorted and managed a tiny smile. "Yeah."

**o8o o8o**

During the next three days, Heero was overwhelmed by the tasks he set himself. He made sure to check in on Duo at least once an hour, let his love know he wasn't forgotten. He wanted to finish the neuro-connectors before they attempted to put him back in his own body, because the information he could find while a computer program was more easily accessible. He also finished the Gundam blueprints for the same reason. Lastly, he wrote a whole new program that would store his subconscious for that time period to 'download' him back into his body. He figured it would be easier to transfer a single program instead of multiple ones.

Sam had narrowed the focus of her super computer. Instead of building a giant information-storing machine, she was building one to streamline the process of the transfer. As a result she finished even sooner than expected, and Heero was inexplicably nervous.

Doctor Fraiser had set up a mini-infirmary in one of the med-labs, ready to remove Heero's body from the stasis tank and hook him up to life support, since he wouldn't function without his life's essence. She and her best staff were standing by to aid in the process, ready to administer treatment if something went wrong.

Last, Heero wrote a second, back-up program that would restore everything to default if the transfer was unsuccessful. This minimized the risk to himself. Some of his new growth would be lost, but he didn't mind. He could grow back.

"It may take a few tries," Sam cautioned. "We only did this once before, and the circumstances were a little different."

"That's fine," Heero said, watching as Doctor Fraiser began opening the stasis tank.

**o8o o8o**

Zechs Marquise paced the isolation room. These were far more decent than the cells in any military compound on Desaine. There was a bed and adjacent bathroom. What was going on out there? Surely they wouldn't make him wait around without coming to see him? General Hammond had ordered him locked up as soon as he arrived, and he supposed that was fair. But he was almost desperate to know what was going on.

Fortunately, Wufei didn't have a cruel streak. Or at least, he chose to ignore it. He came into Zechs' room with a stormy look in his gleaming, ebony eyes. They were colder than usual. For a moment he stood in silence, and Zechs used that time to silently admire him. The youth was too gorgeous for his own good. Slanted almond eyes the color of obsidian, like carved chips of ice. Hair the exact same shade, pulled back into a severe ponytail. Zechs had always thought Wufei wanted to be taken seriously, so he wore his hair like that to seem older. There was nothing effeminate about his face - his beauty was all masculine.

Wufei's gaze became a scathing glare. "What?" he snapped.

Zechs allowed a hint of a smile, a hint of warmth creep into his eyes. "Just thinking what an attractive young man you are."

To his disappointment, Wufei reacted only by giving him a smile so frosty he nearly shivered. "Don't attempt to distract me. As far as I can see, you're still as guilty of betraying us as you were before. Since you're responsible for Heero's current condition, bringing his body to us isn't a way of making reparations."

Zechs took a deep breath. "I've told you -"

"Yes, you told me your half-assed reasons. I say, not good enough. If these Earthers weren't so against it, I would kill you myself. _That_ would go a long way toward reparation."

There wasn't, Zechs noted grimly, a hint of bravado in Wufei's frozen eyes. The young man was deadly serious, and only bitter hatred shone in his eyes. Not a shred of forgiveness.

"What can I do, then?" he asked quietly.

That frozen rictus of a smile tightened over Wufei's lips. "You could kill yourself," he offered. He tossed Zechs a long knife. "Understand. I want someone to blame for the injustice wrought upon these two. Since I can't kill everyone in the DCG, you're handy."

_What a strange thing to say._ Zechs looked up into Wufei's eyes, a little startled. There didn't seem to be any give. So then . . . ? Taking a single step forward, Zechs dropped to his knees in front of Wufei, placing his hands flat on the floor in a gesture of submission.

"Please, accept my humblest apologies," he murmured. "Please, Wufei. Forgive me."

He kept his head low, but he watched Wufei as he quietly begged. For a long time, ebony eyes regarded him in stony silence. Finally, _finally_ the young man appeared moved. There was the slightest softening of black, and Wufei took a step back toward the door, reaching for the handle.

"If Heero makes it through this," he said coldly, "maybe."

**o8o o8o**

Trowa watched as Doctor Fraiser ordered her team to lift Heero's prone form out of the stasis tank onto the waiting bed. His brother's body was wet from the viscous fluid in the tank, but Fraiser did little more than wipe off his face. It took about forty seconds for her to have him hooked up to the equipment she called life support. It would breathe for him and mimic all the functions of a body. Once her monitoring equipment was in place, Trowa admired how efficient she was. The petite brunette nodded to Sam.

"All right, Heero," Sam said, bringing her super computer online. "This computer is still hooked up to the base. Transfer yourself completely to its matrix, and I'll disconnect it from the base mainframe. It'll prevent any damage coming to our computers should there be some kind of feedback."

Heero, face on the monitor on the wall, nodded and disappeared. It took him almost ten minutes to comply, letting Trowa know just exactly how much his brother had grown. Well, in all fairness, mundane computers were never built to house a sentient mind. Especially not a mind like Heero's. His face appeared on the monitor of the super computer.

"I'm out," he said.

Sam pulled the big cable off the breaker on the wall, and fifteen seconds later the gate room sargeant's voice said, "We have control back, General Hammond."

Hammond just nodded. "You ready, son?"

Though Trowa could see his brother's anxiety, Heero merely nodded.

Hammond looked at Sam. "Do it."

Doctor Fraiser hooked electrodes up to Heero's temples and the base of his skull. Trowa held his breath as the transfer began.

**o8o o8o**

Doctor Fraiser anxiously watched her monitoring equipment. The one time she'd done something similar to this with Sam had been just as touch-and-go. Even if this failed, part of the doctor wondered if it might not be better for Heero if he died rather than be trapped in a computer program with nowhere to go. She shook her head. This was going to work. _It has to._

It seemed to take forever. Fraiser didn't take for granted the sheer scope of the mind as she kept her eyes on her monitoring instruments. Heero's body had been in stasis for months, probably close to a year. Revival would take time. And great care. As she watched, the lights blinking on Sam's computer went dark, and Janet's instruments all went crazy. Activity for a split second, the transfer was a success. Life signs. Then a high-pitched, single-tone wail filled the air.

"He's in defib!" Fraiser barked, leaping into action.

The monitor continued to flatline as her orderlies prepared the paddles, and she laid them flat on the boy's chest. "Clear!"

Heero's slim body jolted off the bed, no results. She ordered the machine amped and tried again. Still nothing. _Come on, come on,_ she thought desperately. _Third time's the charm, right?_ Once more, an even higher setting. For a moment, nothing. Then, just as she was about to try a fourth time, the wail broke into a tentative beep. _Yes! That's it._

"We have a pulse," her orderly said unnecessarily.

"He's stabilizing," Fraiser announced to her audience, accepting the IV bag and drip from her orderly. "Heart rate and respiratory rising." The electrodes showed increasing brain activity, as well. She smiled up at Hammond. "It's working."

**o8o o8o**

Trowa released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. It was working. The tension bled away. To replaced by something else a split second later. "_It's working! Wufei, it's working! Doctor Fraiser says life-signs are returning to normal."_

_"I'm on my way,"_ Wufei's thoughts filled his mind with cool calm.

"He's waking," Fraiser said, motioning to one of her aides. "Let's remove the breathing tube. Heero? Can you hear me? Try to stay calm."

It took every ounce of will power Trowa possessed not to shove his way to his brother's side. "_Heero?"_ he said gently, knowing his brother would be weak - and therefore sensitive.

_"I . . . can hear you . . . Trowa,"_ his brother replied. His mental voice was appallingly weak.

But that was telepathy. For several disconcerting moments Trowa thought he might faint. "_It worked. It actually worked. I can't believe it. I thought it would fail."_

_"Have a little more faith in me, brother,"_ Heero thought, amused. "_Shit, I feel weak. I wanted to jump up and run to Duo, to surprise him. I can't even sit up."_

_"I'm not surprised. Let yourself rest for awhile. Quatre's with Duo - he'll be all right for the time being."_

Their eyes met over the heads of the busy doctors and nurses, and Trowa gave his younger brother a reassuring smile.

"Let's get him to the infirmary," Doctor Fraiser said.

**o8o o8o**

_"Get some sleep, tonight, Duo,_" Trowa had said. _"Tomorrow, we have a surprise for you._"

Duo couldn't imagine what the surprise might be, nor how it would ever make him feel any better. He knew his black mood wore on Quatre, so he tried to cheer up during the day. He was sure his attempts felt as hollow to Quatre as they did to him, but he could tell his best friend appreciated the effort. They watched a TV show called _The Simpsons_ because Colonel O'Neill had recommended it, but Duo wasn't sure what to make of it. Daniel recommended something far more interesting, a comprehensive history of one of Earth's more fascinating cultures: ancient Egypt. Both Duo and Quatre enjoyed it.

By night Duo had forgotten the promise of a surprise and collapsed into sleep filled with troubled dreams. He woke late the next morning to find Quatre wrapped around him, which was strangely comforting and filled Duo with longing.

"Finally awake?" Quatre murmured, sitting up.

Duo nodded, rather wishing he weren't. He slowly sat up, bowing forward slightly. "Ugh. I feel sick, Quatre."

"You're just hungry. Here, I brought some toast and eggs."

The thought of food made Duo's uneasy stomach churn, but he obediently ate it. To his surprise, it quieted the nausea. He'd no sooner finished his last bite than Doctor Fraiser swept in with her usual lack of concern for privacy. The petite brunette wore a bright smile.

"Good morning. Feeling better today?"

"A little better every day," Duo confirmed, submitting to her needle.

She injected the antivirus into him, and Duo endured the strange rush of dizziness that always accompanied it. It was over quickly, and he waited while she physically examined him. Once she seemed satisfied, she left. Duo wanted to lay right back down, but Quatre urged him up.

"Go take a shower. Don't you remember what Trowa told you? We have a surprise for you."

Duo didn't feel like going anywhere, but a low-level excitement hummed in the back of Quatre's mind that convinced Duo to get up. Maybe his friends had something in mind that would make him feel better. He at least owed it to them to try. So he got up and showered, and that made him feel more human. Quatre sat him down and brushed his hair until it was mostly dry, then braided it loosely.

"Come on."

Quatre led Duo down the halls right, to Duo's dismay, toward the infirmary. This was less and less promising. Quatre sensed his mood and smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

"Trust me."

They stepped into the infirmary. Trowa and Wufei were there, both with shit-eating grins on their faces. How unusual. Both of them were the stoic type. They looked awfully pleased with themselves. Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were standing slightly to the side, Doctor Fraiser and General Hammond to the other. They were all looking at him like they expected something. With eerie timing they turned and looked to the last person in the room. Who had somehow escaped notice.

Most likely because Duo simply wasn't expecting him to be there.

It wasn't possible, after all.

Because he was dead.

Gone.

_Heero . . ._

Every muscle in Duo's body went rigid, eyes widening in such a way it was probably comical. His brain scrambled for an explanation. _Dreaming. I'm still dreaming._

_"Not likely, love of mine,"_ Heero's mental voice poured over his senses. It was tinged with amusement, love, and a near-desperate need to hold Duo.

_". . . 'Ro?"_

_"It's me, Duo."_

_". . . but . . ."_

"Let's give them some privacy," Doctor Fraiser said abruptly, startling Duo.

The five humans and one Jaffa quietly filed out, Daniel and Sam giving Duo encouraging smiles. The infirmary door shutting broke the strange paralysis that had claimed Duo's body. Rather like a marionette with its strings cut he jerked forward, movements awkward and clumsy. As if his body still resisted the reality of this. His mind, however, was reaching. Reaching. Heero reached for him, too.

Then they were falling together. Around and into each other. Warm, real, solid, firm arms were around him. Squeezing so hard his ribs screamed in protest. He couldn't breathe, not even a little. _Dreaming. If I'm dreaming, I never want to wake up again._

"God, Duo," Heero hissed in his ear, "I never thought I would hold you again."

Lips crashed down on his, hard and bruising and demanding and taking and begging. Duo was vaguely aware of himself crying as he kissed back with equal fervor, and then Heero was blindly groping for his mind. They poured into each other like fire, both desperate for the feeling that this was real, even if it hurt.

Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre silently knelt around them, embracing them, soothing and calming, directing their minds because neither of them had the presence to do it themselves, anymore.

"Heero," Duo sobbed, clinging to the scrub shirt his love wore. "Heero . . ."

"I'm here, Duo," Heero whispered. "I'm here."

Duo could sense Heero's weakness, but he didn't care. He would get strong again. They both would. Duo had always felt at his strongest when in his lover's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it

**A/N: **It's been way too long since this one got an update. Since I updated anything, actually . . . sorry.

* * *

**Compassion, Mercy, and Forgiveness**

Heero opened his eyes. For a split second disorientation ruled. He'd woken up? He ached all over? It was the physical sensation of warm weight on his chest that recalled him to the present. He'd grown accustomed to not having a body. It wouldn't, he thought as his arms came up, be an unpleasant task to get used to it again.

Duo stirred the instant Heero's arms settled around him. Indigo eyes fluttered open, and when they landed on Heero they filled with tears. But the brilliant smile he remembered followed hot on their heels.

"G'morning," he whispered.

_'It is a good morning,'_ Heero responded silently - just because he could. Reaching out much hurt, his psionic senses feeling extremely raw and sensitive. But it was a good pain. It was a sensation he could _feel_, and even though it was pain he embraced it.

Mirth, love, and blinding happiness flowed from Duo to Heero. _'Best we've had in almost a year,'_ Duo agreed, nuzzling Heero's throat.

It was painful, letting his psionic senses remain open so he and Duo could sift through each others' minds. But it was a much-needed reaffirmation for them both, a sort of "getting-to-know-you" again. It wasn't long before Duo picked up on his pain, though, and he sat up. His eyes were dark and glossy.

"Being in that stasis tank really weakened you," he said quietly. He bit his lower lip. "Much more than their torture." He placed his hand lightly on Heero's cheek.

He realized what Duo planned a split second before his love did it - too late to stop it. Even though he himself was far too weak to do something so tremendous, Duo still sent his healing energy down into Heero's body. Every muscle in Heero's body went rigidly to attention, mind whiting out. He could remember his mother telling him, a long time ago, that Duo's potential for healing was phenomenal. Most N'saian had a weak propensity . . . One by one he felt the weak parts of his body flooding with strength. The aches vanished as though they never were. Like balm on an open wound his psionic channels cleansed and healed, all his shields floating back into place. Hands capable of bending steel flexed in the sheets -

- and it was over. Strength poured over him in a wave, and his senses returned. He was too thin, still - Duo couldn't magically make him gain weight. But he was _strong_. That tremendous strength of his was back, a thousand times faster and cleaner than any drug could ever have managed. Duo sagged back down on Heero's chest with little more than a sigh, eyes slipping shut.

Heero shoved the annoying wires off his body and gathered Duo close, rocking him slightly. "Little idiot," he whispered in Duo's ear. "Why'd you do that? You're not strong enough to be healing right now."

Duo took a shaky breath, hands clutching at Heero's arms. "I wanted you to . . . hold me again. Like that." _Just like that_.

Heero drew Duo into his mind, soothing and calming and gentle, psionic fingers massaging through the boy's ravaged channels, drawing barriers into place to shut out the rest of the base. Few telepaths were strong enough to create barriers for others, but Heero was stronger than any N'saian ever born. In fact, all five of them were stronger than any N'saian before.

"That feels good," Duo mumbled.

Sensing he was close to sleep, Heero increased his gentle pressure to push him back down into it. Almost as soon as he descended into its soft black embrace, Dr. Fraiser entered the infirmary. She gave him a smile, and he could sense she was surprised.

"Good morning," she said, moving to the bedside to check her equipment. "You look much better today than last night. How do you feel?"

"Fine," Heero replied. "Duo healed me."

Her dark, startled eyes came to his face. "What?"

"He caught me off guard," Heero explained, "otherwise I wouldn't have let him do that. Other than a serious need for real food, I'm fine now."

"I'll need to run some tests to ascertain that for myself," she said, and he could sense slight caution.

He simply nodded. With his full telepathy restored, he'd lost that last bit of distrust for these people. They were good men and women, and they genuinely wished to keep him and his four friends safe. They wouldn't hurt them.

**o8o o8o**

While she waited for the results of her tests, Dr. Fraiser gave Duo his antivirus injection. She also had breakfast brought up for Heero while he got up and dressed in BDUs. The military green pants and black tee shirt looked good on him, and she promised herself she would do everything in her power to restore him to full health. He was probably a good forty pounds underweight right now. How would he look in his prime? That wiry frame screamed strength, and he was thin right now.

Heero finished his breakfast, and she moved to his side. She held up a syringe.

"This is a vitamin shot. You're deficient in just about everything, and it'll help boost your metabolism."

Heero succumbed with a nod, watching with disinterest as she injected him. Then he met her eyes. "Thank you, Doctor."

She blinked. "For what?"

"Everything you've done for us. We sort of . . . stumbled into very good hands." The faintest smile quirked up one corner of his mouth.

She smiled. "You don't need to thank me. It's my job. But you're very welcome all the same."

Rising off the bed, Heero looked down at her. "Am I cleared to leave? Wufei told me Zechs Marquise is here, and I need to see him."

She hesitated, glancing down at Duo. "You should be here when he wakes."

Heero nodded. "Yes. Don't worry. I imprinted myself on his mind again, so the instant he starts waking I'll know."

Professional curiosity sent into overdrive with that simple sentence, Janet raised an eyebrow. "Imprinted yourself . . . ?"

That lip-quirk again. "I don't really know how to describe it. I could demonstrate if you want."

Blink. "What does it entail?"

"I can make it temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent," he told her. "With Duo, the imprint is permanent. This way I can tell in an instant when he needs me."

She nodded. "I'd like to know more about it before you demonstrate." She smiled a little.

"That's fine. Most humans are wary of our abilities." He paused then added, "Especially mine."

Reaching over, she patted his bare arm. "Only because they're narrow-minded. I don't fear what I don't understand, I simply want to learn more about it. So when you five are free, I definitely want to learn more."

It gleamed briefly in his eyes, how much her words meant to him. He gave a quick nod. "We're your new allies, so we're happy to help."

She beamed at him. "Now go find your friend."

He ducked his head just the tiniest bit, reminding her suddenly and sharply that he was just a kid. A sixteen-year-old kid who had been through more than most adults would ever. Her heart ached for him, and she was so grateful he was back in his physical body where he belonged. The terrible heartache he and his angel-faced lover had been through could now begin to heal.

**o8o o8o**

Zechs, sitting cross-legged on the bed in his cell, looked up when he heard the card-key swipe the lock. A moment later the door opened, and the Earth military man pushed it open to allow in his visitor. It was Wufei, and to his immense shock and relief, Heero. The slightly younger N'saian looked thin, but he looked far better than Zechs could believe. He'd expected it would take weeks for the youth to be back on his feet after months of cryo-sleep. He rose to his feet to bow deeply.

"I'm pleased to see you looking so well," he said, radiating sincerity and knowing Heero would be able to pick up on it.

Cobalt and ebony eyes observed him, both sets bright and cold. Wufei's expression was both cold and hateful, but Heero's gave him hope. His eyes were just this side of glacial, but he still looked more neutral than Wufei.

"You are pleased," he said matter-of-factly. "Wufei told me what you told him, but I want to hear it from you. With my psychic imprint on your mind so I'll know if you lie even the slightest bit."

Zechs forced himself to meet that cold stare. "Of course," he submitted, sitting back on the edge of the bed. "I won't resist your imprint."

"No," Heero said, voice going even colder, "you won't." He moved until he was right in front of the man, holding out one hand.

Zechs closed his eyes and felt the cool tips of the boy's fingers at his left temple. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax and open his mind. Not that anyone on Desaine had any way of protecting against the N'saian abilities . . .

He felt the first touch like the icy kiss of a winter breeze. Gentle and harsh at the same time. His first instinct was to tense and flinch away, but the man's innate self-discipline stilled the reaction before it came to fruition. That was just Heero reaching for him . . .

It happened fast. As if the first touch was merely Heero finding him, the next instant the imprint was there. It didn't settle over his mind like a net or a blanket - it was just _there._ It felt similar to being in someone's grapple, only far more intense. Perhaps like being grappled by a giant in arctic waters after having all the air knocked from one's lungs by a tree falling on you. All that aside, it didn't hurt. It was too foreign a sensation to be described as pain.

_'Tell me what happened.'_

The mental command rang across his mind loud and inescapably clear. He could no more deny it than cut off his own right hand. He found himself pouring out the exact truth, and it never occurred to him to _lie_. The orders he received to transport the two promising young N'saian to a relatively new base. The shock at their treatment upon arrival. And the horror that they were imprisoned and tortured by the very people they'd already sworn to defend. He narrated right up until the moment he stepped through the Stargate to bring Heero's body to the SGC.

When he was done, he felt a strange sense of relief. Looking up, he tried to gauge Heero's reaction. The boy was observing him, but his eyes were now merely pensive rather than cold or hostile.

"Not a hint of lie," he remarked.

Wufei, who was watching Heero, didn't react as Zechs had been hoping. The anger didn't leave his eyes. If anything, it deepened. He looked like someone who had been denied a chance at vengeance. His ebony gaze snapped to Zechs.

"This doesn't abdicate you," he growled.

Zechs' heart sank. "What else can I offer?" he asked quietly. "Had I known, I would have done everything to protect Heero and Duo, I swear it. Heero, can you not sense my sincerity?"

"I can," Heero answered tonelessly.

Zechs looked back to Wufei.

Who merely sneered at him. "But like any mindless fool you didn't think to look into the situation? Why would two boys be sent to a top-secret research facility?"

"I thought perhaps they were looking into new ways to put your abilities to good use -"

"I believe the _correct_ assessment is you didn't think at all," Wufei cut in, voice laden with scorn.

"It's not a good soldier's place to question his commanding officer -"

"Tool!" Wufei spat. "You didn't consider it might be a trap, that those monsters were looking for the chance to sink their claws into two boys with untapped potential? And it never occurred to you to look into the research at that facility? That they were researching ways to _suppress_ our telepathic abilities?"

"I _did_ look into it, but all the documents I read were programming-related," Zechs said. "I was led to believe that Heero's background in it would play a part in developing viruses to use against the Nationals."

"So was I," Heero commented blandly.

Grasping the lifeline he'd been thrown, Zechs nodded. "In fact, Duo and Heero were specifically chosen because they would best fit into that program. I'm almost positive that most of the men and women doing work in that facility had no idea what was secretly planned for them."

"If it was all so top-secret as you claim," Wufei growled, "how did you even learn of it?"

"I did some digging after they vanished," Zechs replied, desperately hoping he could hear the boy relenting. "With careful probing I uncovered the plot. It took a great deal of political maneuvering to get myself into the program. I thought perhaps I could smuggle them out if I was on the inside. I created the hole in the guard that allowed Duo to escape Desaine, and I'm the one who gave him that data recording and storing device so he could take Heero with him. I began planning immediately after that how I might get Heero's body back to him, and it took me some time to figure out where he'd gone after he escaped."

"Why did you care so much?" Heero inquired.

His tone made it sound like he didn't really care. "Because I blamed myself," Zechs replied after a slow, deep breath, "and because you two were so young. You're just kids. All five of you."

"Wufei wants to punish you," Heero said abruptly. "An injustice was done to us, and you're the only route left."

Well aware of what these boys could do to him, Zechs nodded without hesitation. "Whatever you deem necessary."

A slow, frigid smile crossed Wufei's lips. "You may not think so, when you hear what I have in mind."


	11. Chapter 11

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** Oooh, we's gettin' into the good stuff. All right, on we go.

* * *

**The Healing Process**

Janet Fraiser headed out of her office and for General Hammond's. Knocking, she waited for his invitation to enter and was pleased to see Colonel O'Neill with him, too. "Sirs," she said with a nod. "I have Heero's test results, and they're amazing."

Hammond nodded, looking thoughtful. "After Duo healed him?"

"Yes. There was massive cell damage and muscle degeneration due to the prolonged cryogenic suspension," she told them. "I could have repaired the damage with drugs and intensive physical therapy, but it would have taken weeks, months even. Now he's in perfect health, except malnutrition and vitamin deficiency."

"Damn," O'Neill observed.

Janet had to bite back her grin.

"Any negative side-effects for Duo?" the general asked.

"It really drained him," Janet replied. "He's still sleeping, and all this happened several hours ago."

"How's he doing otherwise?" Hammond asked.

"Better and better," Janet told them. "He's responding very well to the antivirus, though it's not completely out of his system yet."

"Can't he heal himself?" the colonel wanted to know.

Janet shrugged. "I don't know. I think he would have done so by now if he could, though. And of the five, he's the only one with healing abilities, according to Heero."

Hammond looked pensive. "What's your assessment of them, Doctor? Do you believe they pose any kind of threat to the base?"

There was no hesitation in her answer. "Absolutely none, sir. I believe they're decent boys, all five of them. They obviously care greatly for each other, and for the most part they've complied with our demands. They haven't tried to get off the base or control us in any way, even though it would be easy for them given their powers. And I have a request. I would like to study the five of them in depth, learn more about their abilities and physiology."

O'Neill snorted. "Get in line, Doc. Carter's itching to get her hands on them to start learning what they know about technology. The tall, flop-haired kid built some kind of neuro . . . phone-thing, and she's dying to figure out how."

Biting her lip, Janet managed not to grin.

"And there's the matter of these weapons they've promised to build," O'Neill concluded.

Janet smiled. "I can be patient."

**o8o o8o**

Heero led the way back to the infirmary, aware of the security guards following closely behind the manacled Zechs. It distantly amused him that they were so cautious of the human, but not of the five far-more-powerful N'saian. Zechs looked mystified when they entered the infirmary, but as Heero approached the bed he felt waves of remorse roll off the man at the sight of Duo. His love looked thin and pale, worse even than yesterday due to his healing this morning. His stormy blue eyes met Heero's cobalt when the boy turned.

"I'm so sorry," he practically whispered.

Heero nodded his head toward the guards. "Will you please wait over there?" When they resisted, thinking it went against their orders, Heero gave them both a very gentle psionic nudge and they went.

Wufei moved to stand on the other side of the bed from Heero. "I'm ready whenever you are," he said, steadfastly refusing to look at Zechs.

Refusing to offer him the slightest comfort. Heero pointed to the foot of the bed. "Stand there," he ordered the tall human, and he meekly obeyed.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked in a low voice.

Heero reached down and gently took one of Duo's cold, limp hands. "Neither one of us can heal, so we're going to . . . mimic its effects. In a manner of speaking."

Judging by Zechs train of thought, he found this perfectly acceptable and nothing to fear. Heero almost smirked. When he heard the rest of this plan, he would rapidly change his mind.

"Heero is going to use his telepathy to psionically attack you," Wufei picked up mercilessly. "We'll have Duo send out his healing energies to heal the damage. I'm going to channel his healing energy into himself. Understand it now?"

Zechs looked a little confused, as if not understanding how this was a punishment.

"In other words," Wufei elucidated, a savage gleam in his eye, "you will not be healed from Heero's attack. I'm going to stop the energy before it ever gets to you. It will be . . . magnificently painful."

Now Zechs blanched.

Heero shrugged one shoulder almost lazily. "There's no other way. Duo can't heal someone who isn't hurt. And the amount of energy required to heal him is massive, so the damage I must do to you will be . . . in proportion."

The man's throat worked erratically as he swallowed. Fear radiated off him in waves, but he squared his shoulders and nodded. "I'll do it."

"We weren't asking if you would," Wufei snapped, "we were telling you this is what we're going to do."

A spark of both irritation and surrender flickered through Zechs as he nodded again. "I'm ready."

Heero could sense savage satisfaction in Wufei as he reached out. Wufei didn't exactly hate Zechs - his feelings toward the man were complex. He did believe Zechs was being honest with them, he could _sense_ his honesty. But it didn't in any way relieve his need for justice. This punishment would. Because nothing Zechs did would have been enough, given what he and Duo had suffered on Desaine. For himself, Heero didn't take any real pleasure in doing this, but it was necessary. Would he kill Zechs to save Duo? If it were the only way. Make him suffer to heal Duo? Certainly.

Duo woke with a bit of urging. Heero told him what he and Wufei planned using a psionic burst of information. Duo's eyes widened slightly, then he turned to look up at Zechs. "You're okay with this?"

Zechs took a deep breath, but he didn't exactly hesitate. "Yes. If this is what it takes, yes."

Duo looked up at Wufei. "It won't work quite like you want it to," he warned. "Channeling healing energy . . . it won't exactly heal me. It's like pouring fertilizer onto plants. Only much more potent." He sort-of grinned.

Wufei shrugged. "It'll work as well as anything can. Better than anything these people can do."

_"I'll begin, Duo,"_ Heero told him telepathically. _"Be ready."_

And because Wufei wanted it, he gave Zechs no further warning before beginning his attack.

Much like going at someone with a sword or club, he lashed out at the human with pure psionic energy. The attack was purely mental, but by stimulating certain parts of the brain, Heero could achieve results every bit as dramatic as a physical weapon's. Better results, actually. Zechs, who still bore Heero's imprint, was as defenseless as a kitten against a dragon. He bowed forward, hands gripping the rail at the foot of the bed, sweat breaking out all over his face, jaw clenching and teeth grinding. A choked sort of gurgle escaped him as his eyes squeezed shut.

Duo wasn't strong enough to send out a wave of healing energy. It was more like a trickle, but Wufei intercepted it before it got close to Zechs. Heero watched as he began to channel it back into Duo, and he felt it change from healing energy to pure energy. It was, he thought with an inward smile, like jolting someone's heart with electricity to make it beat again. It flashed into Duo, so hot and intense he nearly lost his grip on consciousness. Then he steadied himself and began again, the trickle of healing strengthening into a larger stream. Then more like a river and then finally a wave.

Heero, who was now completely in tune with Duo, could sense the changes. Unlike when Duo healed him, Wufei's energy channeling was less gentle and smooth. The redirected energy scoured into Duo, attacking anything that was wrong. The virus was blasted away, the weakness gobbled up. It was a bit counterproductive - when the three of them all released their holds, Duo was even more drained than after he'd healed Heero. But there was one substantial difference. After he slept and ate a decent meal, he would be strong again.

Zechs however, flopped to the ground like a boned fish. It would take him much longer to recover. What had been done to him could be equated to being hit by a large military truck. No bruises or contusions or broken bones, but the man would be bed-bound for at least a week. Possibly two. He didn't exactly feel sorry for him. The last anger had drained out of Wufei's countenance, his sense of justice appeased.

"I'll take care of him," he said. "You stay with Duo."

Nodding his thanks, Heero sat on the edge of the bed and drew Duo into his arms. _"How are you doing, love?"_

Duo smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head against Heero's chest. _"Worse than before. I feel like you two ran over me with a Gundam."_

Heero snorted and kissed his forehead.

The petite Doctor Fraiser returned to see Wufei unceremoniously dropping Zechs onto the infirmary bed beside Duo's. "What happened here?" she demanded, immediately going to check on the man.

Heero let Wufei explain.

**o8o o8o**

Jack paced restlessly as Doc Fraiser talked to Hammond and the rest of SG-1 about the occurrences of earlier. For the first time they'd seen quite a display of power from the boys. Heero, she said, had attacked the Desaine using only the power of his mind, and the damage the man had sustained was remarkable. All his vitals were off whack, irregular. Extremely low blood pressure, erratic cardiac rhythms, disfunctional lungs. The man was in a coma, and he wouldn't wake for some time. If he woke at all. Fraiser was confident he would.

Jack didn't like the reminder that these kids weren't ordinary kids. Test results had revealed Duo was now cured of that strange virus. "How powerful are these kids?" he asked the doctor.

She looked at him. "Well sir, I don't really know." Then, "More powerful than any of us."

Daniel, predictably, tapped the tabletop. "Does it matter, Jack?"

Wishing the man weren't so obtuse, Jack gave him a Look. "It could, Daniel."

"They aren't our enemies," Daniel said. His tone was a little cool, a clear warning.

For once, Jack ignored it. "Do we know that for sure?"

"And what, exactly, have they done to threaten us?" Daniel demanded.

"How about on that security footage, that kid making the guards back away?" Jack retorted.

"Without hurting them at all?" Daniel shot back, fire beginning to spark in his eyes. "You saw that Desaine. He was willing to do what they wanted. He wanted to help Duo get better."

"At the cost of his own life?"

"They didn't kill him!" Daniel snapped. "And Janet said he won't die. How was this any different from Duo being willing to risk himself to make Heero better?"

Jack opened his mouth to explain, then he shut it again with a vexed grunt. The footage did make it very clear that the blonde Desaine had been willing. Supposedly. "That kid could have been making him say whatever he damn well pleased."

Daniel slapped the table. "Don't be an ass!"

"Sir," Doc Fraiser cut in gently, bringing Jack's attention back to her, "the simple truth is we can't know for sure. But if we start doubting everything we see and hear, the only thing we'll accomplish is mass-panic. I agree with Daniel that these boys aren't a threat. If they meant to harm us they would have done so by now, and they've had every opportunity. What could we do to stop them?"

"If we alienate them," Teal'c abruptly piped up, "we could be losing valuable allies in our continued fight."

"That's true, sir," Carter agreed at once.

Feeling backed into a corner, Jack glared 'round. "General?"

Hammond, who had been watching silently, stirred when addressed. "Doctor, I agree with your assessment. If they meant harm, we couldn't necessarily stop them. Jack, you and Teal'c keep your eyes on them. Major Carter, they'll be working closely with you to build these weapons. Doctor Jackson, learning more about them is your priority right now. They've asked for sanctuary and I've granted it, and the President wants us to go ahead with the construction of these Gundams. But my first priority is and always will be the safety of this facility. Dismissed."

Only half satisfied, Jack rose and nodded to Teal'c. "C'mon, buddy. Let's make ourselves like glue." He didn't miss the glare Daniel shot him.

The infirmary was quiet. The only occupants were one of Fraiser's nurses, the Desaine, and two of the five boys. Duo was asleep, and Heero was sitting on the bed holding him against his chest. It reminded Jack abruptly of what Daniel had blurted about these two - that they were lovers. At fifteen he'd been kissing girls and holding hands and starting to think about having fun with them, but having a lover at that age? These two boys didn't have a clue what love was. Way too young.

"We're not," Heero said.

Jack started. "Not what?"

Cold blue eyes narrowed. They reminded Jack sharply of Daniel's, except several shades darker.

"Too young to know what love is."

Jack blinked. "Stay out of my head, kid."

"I'm not _in_ your head, Colonel," the boy retorted. "You're broadcasting your thoughts all over the place. I can't help it if I overhear when you're shouting your disdain."

Jack tried not to shift. The hell if he would allow this little punk to talk down to him. "That was some stunt you pulled, earlier."

He saw Heero stiffen. "I did _not_ attack those guards. I simply asked them to move back. As they will tell you, they are not hurt in any way."

Daniel appeared at Jack's side, slipping past him to sit on the edge of the bed. "We know. Jack's just a soldier, through and through."

Heero looked up at Jack, his expression unreadable. "You have rules you want us to abide by? Fine. What are they?"

His willingness to acquiesce immediately appeased some of Jack's tension and aggression. "First, don't _ever_ get into someone's head unless you have _express_ permission. Got it?"

For a moment, Heero's expression reminded Jack he was just a kid. He looked a little petulant before it disappeared. "Got it."

"That includes everything from reading someone's thoughts to forcing their actions," Jack elucidated, just in case.

Heero nodded once, still looking unhappy.

"There's a chain of command around here," Jack went on, "and you'll stick to it. The CO is General Hammond, and I'm his 2IC. If you're going to be our allies, you will obey the chain of command."

Obviously, those words sparked the soldier in Heero. "We've talked about this with each other," he said, "and the five of us would like to be an SG team."

The request startled Jack. Then he shook his head. "No. You don't have the training."

"You'll find the five of us require far less training than a human," Heero said in a dry voice. Then, when Jack began to feel riled again, "Please, Colonel. I know what you're thinking - that the five of us should each be on a separate SG team until we've earned your trust. We don't want to be separated again. We're strongest when we're all together."

"I'll talk to General Hammond," Daniel interrupted in an annoyingly soothing tone. "You five are an unique case."

_Nothing like going over my head, Danny boy. Why can't _you_ ever follow the chain of command?_

Heero's lips twitched. "Thank you, Doctor Jackson. And since you seem to be the only one who believes I didn't hurt those guards, would you let me demonstrate what I did?"

Like an idiot, Daniel nodded.

"Whoa," Jack said, stepping forward. "No one's demonstrating anything."

"You said I couldn't get into someone's head without their permission," Heero said, "not without _your_ permission. You can't change a rule if you don't like it."

"Go ahead, Heero," Daniel said.

As far as Jack could tell, nothing happened. Heero looked at Daniel, then Daniel stood up and moved to the door. He stopped there, turned with a little frown, and moved back.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself. "I could hear it, like you asked me to do something and I couldn't find a reason to say no. Jack, there was no compulsion. He asked, and I just . . . did it. Because there was no reason not to."

Which sounded like a compulsion to Jack. But even in his wariness he didn't want to alienate Daniel. Time to let sleeping demons lie. For now. "We have permission from the President - our top CO - to do whatever we need to help you five build your Gundams. As soon as you're all up on your feet, we're gonna get started right away."

"How many are we talking about?" Daniel asked.

"Five," Heero replied, and he looked strangely unhappy about it. "One for each of us. We didn't talk about this, Colonel, but no one can fly the Gundams but us. They require a sophisticated neuro-interface that a human's brain could not handle."

"Try us," Jack immediately said.

Heero gave him a look he couldn't interpret. "It's not a matter of . . . strength of will," he said after a moment. "You don't have the correct . . . hardware. They require a neuro-connection that you don't have the necessary functions to control. Gundams are complicated."

Jack did not like his tone at all. It was hesitant and guarded. As if he was hiding something. A very, very dangerous something.


	12. Chapter 12

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N:** I guess it was just a matter of re-reading this story to get back into it. My usual warning stands that I can't promise regular updates, but I'm trying.

* * *

**The Learning Process**

Waking brought something to Duo that had become foreign. Warmth. He felt really good for the first time in a very long time. And not just because he felt markedly recovered. A warm, strong, hard body was wrapped so tightly around him he could barely move, and he closed his eyes again to just feel. Heero. In his mind, holding him physically. All around him. Heero made a soft sound and shifted, and his lover's presence increased even more.

"Mm, morning," Heero purred in his ear, nibbling around the shell.

It tickled, making Duo giggle, and he wriggled around to face the older boy. "Make love to me?" he whispered, closing the tiny distance between them and sealing their mouths together.

The kiss deepened, Heero's tongue sweeping through his mouth and tasting every inch. It was as if his love wanted to discover him again, as if it were their first time all over again. "I want to," Heero against his lips, "but we're still in the infirmary. What if Doctor Fraiser walked in?"

"She'd get an eyeful," Duo said, giggling and nibbling around Heero's jaw.

"Eyeful of what?" the woman herself asked.

She didn't startle Duo. Though he'd not quite sensed her, Heero had. Duo gave her a bright grin.

"Me an' Heero naked," he explained.

She looked surprised for a minute, then she started laughing. "Ah, I see. You are teenage boys. Heero, can you unwind yourself so I can check him over? My nurse will give you another shot, and if I'm satisfied with what I see there's no reason to keep you two in here."

Heero blinked. "That easily?" he said as he slithered off the bed and sat on the edge of the adjacent.

Doctor Fraiser smiled down at Duo. "That easily. From what I can see, you boys are far more able to take care of each other than I can in here with all my fancy equipment."

Duo held still while she did her checking and examining. Her hands were warm and kind, and he quietly enjoyed the motherly affection rolling off her. He felt _well_. Safe and whole and unbelievably good. She smoothed his scrub top back into place.

"Aside from the malnutrition and weight loss, you're remarkably recovered, young man."

"Good!" Duo chirped. "Can I take a shower then? I feel like I haven't had one in twenty years."

She laughed softly. "Of course. I had Sam bring up some fresh BDUs for you. They'll be too big, but we'll get some proper fitting ones for you soon. General Hammond wanted the five of you to join him in the briefing room today after lunch to talk about these Gundams."

"Yes, he should know all about them if we're to build a small arsenal," Heero agreed.

The thought of the Gundams made Duo shudder a little, then the pretty doctor pointed them to the showers. Heero pulled Duo inside, locked the door, and faced him with love and desire and _need_ burning in his cobalt eyes. He slowly advanced on Duo, pushing him further into the small bathroom toward the shower. He flicked on the fan as he passed it, then leaned down until his lips were touching Duo's ear.

"It was torture for me," he breathed, "watching you and being unable to touch you. I thought I'd never be able to hold you again." His arms went around Duo. "To kiss you." He feathered kisses down his neck. "To make love to you."

Duo moaned faintly when Heero's body pinned him up against the shower wall. His whole body trembled wildly with need, practically delirious with want. He couldn't believe this was real, that this was happening, that they could finally, _finally_ make each other complete again.

Their minds fused even as their mouths and bodies met and merged. Clothing was an unwanted barrier and it disappeared with startling speed. Heero turned on the water as he pushed Duo hard into the shower wall, trying to get closer. Duo clung to him, wanting everything and anything Heero gave. They'd barely touched and both were achingly aroused, hard and ready. Heero pushed his hips between Duo's thighs by bending his knees, and when he straightened up, Duo yelped when it forced his feet off the floor. Knowing what his lover wanted, he wrapped his legs around Heero's waist and let him bear his weight.

"I love you, Duo," Heero hissed in his ear, sounding almost pained.

"I love you too," Duo panted, sucking in a sharp breath when a single, slick finger probed against his entrance and slid inside him. Soap, he thought dizzily.

Heero didn't draw it out like he normally would. He was too desperate for the physical joining to tease his younger lover. He was thorough, but it had been long enough that Duo felt a sting of pain when Heero finally judged him ready and eased up into him. Duo wrapped his arms tightly around Heero's shoulders, barely able to breathe through the thick steam and the sensation of penetration after so long.

Sex, Duo thought hazily, was for people who weren't in love. That term was too simple, too basic, too animalistic to describe what they were doing right now. Sex was about satisfying the carnal desires of the flesh. And while it certainly felt good, Duo's body was of far lesser importance than everything else that came along with this act with this boy holding him up and trapping him and piercing his body, his heart, his mind, and his soul. A physical act made the mental joining stronger, deeper, more intense, more real. Just as Heero had filled his body, he filled his mind.

They didn't move for a long, long time. This was the part Duo craved the most. Simply holding each other and feeling their mutual love. Feeling the burn down at the base of his spine, feeling tingles race to every nerve ending in his body, feeling Heero's unwavering strength because he was the only reason the pair of them didn't tumble to the floor. Feeling Heero's heat brand him.

Gradually the desperation ebbed. Heero's emotions calmed to their normal state of control. His breathing slowed and evened out as everything was restored to its proper place. Duo felt his muscles begin to tense, knowing what was coming next. Heero had the stamina of a machine, and he always dragged things out until Duo felt ready to break down and beg. Something which Heero seemed to love.

Heero brushed kisses over Duo's cheek. "I'll never leave you again," he whispered, shifting Duo in his arms.

Duo whimpered when it caused him to rub around inside him. "Okay. If you do, take me with you."

"I will," Heero promised, and those were the only words spoken.

**o0o 0o0**

Jack took his traditional place at General Hammond's right in the briefing room after lunch. All five boys had gathered right on time, filing in with Heero in the lead. The kid looked better than ever, though he was still too thin. And his best friend (still a little shy of the word lover) looked as good as Jack had ever seen him look. The color was back in his face, his eyes were bright and alert, and he moved without a trace of pain. He found himself wondering how they would look in their prime, all five of them as confident and capable as they could and should be.

And just kids.

Heero's eyes immediately sought the general, and Jack couldn't quite stop the smile. He wasn't as dumb as he led people to believe; that was real affection in Heero's eyes. The kid liked the general. Probably saw him as a fatherly-type figure. Well, Hammond was up to that task. And judging by the smile Hammond gave Heero, he was quite ready for the job. Everyone sat down.

"All right people," the general said, "we have a lot to discuss so let's get started. It's been brought to my attention that you boys want to be made an SG team, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Heero said. "We were separated for a long time, and we don't want to be again."

Hammond nodded. "I've talked it over with the President, and he agrees. The five of you will all join SG teams for some field training, and after I feel you've understood our mission and will represent Earth to the best of your abilities, I will form a new SG team for you. Heero, you will of course be the field leader."

Heero inclined his head.

"All of you will at one point be assigned to SG-1," Hammond continued, "though one at a time. I'm convinced your abilities will allow you to learn much quicker than anyone would expect, but I'd like to be sure of your competence and confidence before sending you out on your own."

"Yes, sir," the five boys all said.

"I'll work out the finer details when Doctor Fraiser clears you all for active duty," Hammond concluded. "Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei, you three are cleared. Heero and Duo, you two aren't." He held up a hand when Heero opened his mouth. "It's true you've recovered much faster than our treatment would allow, but you both are suffering from severe malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. Get used to it, it's the way we do things around here."

Jack grinned to himself at how quickly Heero subsided.

"Doctor Fraiser?" Hammond said, nodding to her.

She folded her hands. "I'd like to create complete medical files for all five of you before you start active duty," she said, "so that if you're injured in the field I'll be able to treat you properly. Heero, you went a long way toward compiling medical information on your race, but there are a lot of gaps. I'd like to give all five of you a complete physical, full blood work-up, CAT scans, neuro scans, the works. It will take some time, but it'll be worth it in the long run."

Heero nodded. "We can give you all the information you need. With our genetic memory, each of us possesses full knowledge of our physiological make-up."

Fraiser nodded. "I'd also like to have complete records of your psionic abilities."

The five boys exchanged quick glances, and Jack could see wariness on each of their faces. Finally, Heero looked at her again.

"All right."

"No one here will hurt you, son," Hammond said gently.

Heero met the general's eyes, and the anxiety seemed to melt away. "I know, sir."

"Good," Hammond said brusquely. "Now, we'd like to hear a detailed analysis of these Gundams."

It surprised Jack a little, but Heero deferred to Wufei. The black-haired boy placed his palms flat on the table. "Trowa and I drew up some schematics, but before that there's something you need to know. The five us flew the last five Gundams of our people before we went to Desaine, but we eventually decided to destroy them."

When he didn't go on, Jack asked, "Why?"

Wufei took a deep breath. "They're powerful weapons," he said, "capable of great destruction. But they're _highly_ dangerous weapons. They were created using an extremely sophisticated AI that reacts to the host pilot, anticipates his or her desires and acts on them so the host pilot doesn't have to waste time manipulating controls or inputing commands."

Jack raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"How is that possible?" Carter asked.

Wufei glanced at her. "It requires an invasive neurological link with the host pilot. They were specifically designed for use by the N'saian, so we couldn't make Gundams that humans could pilot. They would be too clumsy and slow."

"So what makes them so dangerous?" Jack asked, feeling like they were a tad off topic.

Wufei looked at Heero, and something passed between them. "The AI is an _extremely_ sophisticated program," the black-haired kid repeated. "It was designed to anticipate the desires of its host pilot. It's a _learning_ program, Colonel. We were beginning to have exert tremendous amounts of focus and energy to control them. The program was actually beginning to try and control _us_."

Well, shit.

"And do you have some way of addressing that problem?" General Hammond asked.

Now Wufei looked embarrassed. "Well, we were hoping Major Carter could help us with that."

Carter blinked. "Me? From what I've seen, you five know a lot more than I do, especially about your own creations."

Something passed between the boys again, and now Wufei deferred to Quatre. The blonde kid leaned forward.

"Please don't take offense, Major, but we . . . ah, our technological knowledge is somewhat . . . proving a hinderance for once," he said, a hint of pink rising in his cheeks.

Jack raised an eyebrow, but Carter just chuckled.

"In other words, you'd like someone who can dumb it down for you," she said.

All five boys flushed.

"I would never say that," Quatre said.

"But in essence, that's right," Duo piped up, giving Carter quite a sweet little grin.

Which, Jack thought with a grin of his own, somehow alleviated the awkward tension. _Little charmer._ "So that should take priority before actual construction," he said, looking to Hammond for approval. "Since Doc Fraiser can only work on one of you at a time, the other four of you can help Carter with that."

"Daniel can help me," the doctor said. "You five will all need psyche evaluations as well, and Daniel can help prepare you."

Which made Daniel light up like the fourth of July, Jack noticed wryly. His linguist would never say no to learning more about a new race, a new culture.

"It's final, then," Hammond said, sounding satisfied. "Doctor Jackson, you and Doctor Fraiser can begin your work right away with Heero and Duo. Quatre, I'd like you to begin working with Major Carter, and Jack, I'm sending Wufei and Trowa with you and Teal'c on a basic mission to one of our offworld outposts for field training."

"General, it would be best if I worked with Major Carter -" Heero began.

"Son, you and Duo are still recovering from a long and painful experience," Hammond gently-but-firmly cut him off, "and I'm not fully convinced you're as recovered as you believe. Until that time, I want you two to stay close to Doctor Fraiser and the infirmary, taking it easy. There will be plenty of time for you to work with Major Carter."

_I'm going to have to remember how he does that,_ Jack thought to himself as once more, Heero subsided. That kid would be a real handful. He could tell.

Then Heero looked at him. "I have another suggestion," he said. "We can teach all of you some basic mental exercises that will help you control and shield errant thoughts. Colonel O'Neill expressed some concern about us overhearing private thoughts." Giving Jack a look of petulance.

_Yep. Handful._

Hammond seemed to notice something significant pass between boy and man, because he had a hint of a grin as he nodded. "I have no problems with that. Are there any questions, people?" When no one had any, he rose. "Good. SG-1, you disembark tomorrow at 0900. Trowa, Wufei, I expect you to be geared and ready for your first offworld orientation."

"Yes, sir," both of them said.

Jack reminded himself to teach them how to salute. It was the proper way, after all, to show the general the respect he was due.


	13. Chapter 13

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N: **I only noticed just now how long it's been since I actually updated this story. *is ashamed*

* * *

**Offworld Orientation and Psyche Evaluation**

Trowa laced up the steel-toe combat boots that completed the uniform of the SGC teams. The BDUs looked somewhat informal and extremely functional compared to the uniforms of the DCG officials and soldiers. The dark, grayed-green would blend in well should a person need to hide. The vest was heavy, but Colonel O'Neill explained its importance by calling it 'bullet-proof', whatever that meant. It had plenty of pockets with strips of something called 'velcro', which turned out to be a handy way to close a pocket without messing with buttons or zippers.

Wufei took more interest in the weapons than the uniforms. He watched O'Neill with singleminded intensity, his eyes scanning over the sleek black shape, glittering and focused. "What are those?" he finally asked.

Trowa 'listened' for the answer and knew Wufei did the same. _A P-90, a projectile weapon that releases something called a bullet at extremely high speeds, capable of pinpoint accuracy and killing an enemy with a single shot._ Trowa smiled to himself; so that was what 'bullet-proof' meant.

"You kids are too young for one of these babies," O'Neill said.

Wufei blinked. "Why? A P-90 is clearly a superior field weapon. If you show us how to fire it, we can use it with far more accuracy than a human."

O'Neill's dark brown eyes flared. "Were you - ?" he began heatedly.

Trowa remembered Heero's admonition that O'Neill was touchy about having his thoughts heard, even if it didn't require anything on the part of the telepath to overhear them. "Sorry," he said quickly, relying on his blonde lover's diplomacy skills before Wufei could make the situation worse. "It's a bad habit of ours, asking a question to receive a telepathic burst of information on the subject. We'll remember not to do that in the future."

_"Or, more appropriately,"_ Wufei thought to him scathingly, _"keep it to ourselves."_

Trowa managed to swallow the smile. Barely.

O'Neill neither looked nor felt relenting. "You boys look human," he said after a moment, "so act like it. It'll draw a lot less attention to those abilities of yours, which will keep you safer."

Trowa blinked. That, he hadn't been expecting. _"A protective overture, from the gruff colonel?"_ he said to Wufei.

Which made the other youth have to fight not to grin. _"Maybe he's kinder than he looks, eh?"_

"We'll follow your lead," Trowa promised aloud. "And I wanted to ask, what are our ranks? Heero told us what he read on your internet about the US Air Force. Do we have a rank? Or are we honorary members of the SGC like Teal'c?"

A question which made Teal'c look at O'Neill with his head canted slightly to the side.

O'Neill looked both amused and offended. "Airmen," he replied.

The lowest rank, Trowa thought. But still, they hadn't earned any honors with these people. That would come when they proved their willingness to defend this world and its people. As long as nothing like Desaine ever happened to them again. He shared Heero's confidence that it wouldn't. These people had an openness about them, an honesty that the people of Desaines never had. Their minds had eventually become foggy and unclear. These humans weren't like them.

"Joining the Air Force would be an excellent way to avoid undue scrutiny, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

Trowa could only agree. In fact, being human would be the best way to remain invisible. "In more ways that one," he said. "The Gao'uld won't have given up the search for us. They're the ones who burned our world to the ground. They know that at least some of us survived, and they won't let us escape."

_But you look too damn young to be anything but students of the Air Force Academy,_ O'Neill thought to himself. Trowa politely pretended not to hear.

Wufei did not. "We're not joining the Air Force Academy," he said stiffly. "You couldn't teach us anything."

"Damn it, kid, what the hell did I just -"

"Sorry," Trowa quickly cut in, wishing he had Quatre's empathy. He could have sent out soothing waves of calm. "We're not used to curtailing our abilities. We'll do better, Colonel."

Wufei sent him a small glare, but it lacked heat. Of them all, Wufei hated the most being treated like a kid. Because even though he, at the oldest, was only seventeen, they'd stopped being kids a long time ago. The genetic memory of the N'saian, the construction and using of the Gundams, the confinement and torture at the hands of the Desaines had all aged the five boys beyond their years. And the terrible knowledge that they were the last of their people. When they died, the N'saian would be gone.

"Hmph," O'Neill snorted. "You better. Otherwise no one will believe you're human."

_"We should shield ourselves,"_ Trowa suggested to his friend, _"so we can't hear anything at all."_

_"That would leave us vulnerable to ambush attacks," _Wufei shot the idea down instantly. _"We must always be on our guard."_

Trowa sighed faintly and didn't bring it up again. As he followed O'Neill and Teal'c out of the locker rooms toward the 'gate room, he reached out with his senses and sent a wordless pulse of love to Quatre. Almost immediately his lover returned it, along with reassurance. He was already enjoying himself with Major Carter, more than up to the challenge of finding a way to 'correct' the problem in the Gundam program. Trowa wished he was with him, but he didn't wish not to be going on this 'field trip', as O'Neill called it. He was looking forward to actual 'gate travel.

**o0o 0o0**

Daniel sat in silence for a time, merely watching Heero and Duo eat and interact. A lot of people, he mused, probably wouldn't pick up the subtle undercurrent between those two. Daniel knew without asking or sensing that the pair were talking to each other without words, and the love he could see in both their eyes belied their tender ages. A sixteen and seventeen year old human pair wouldn't have a relationship with this kind of emotional depth. It was a constant reminder where one wasn't exactly necessary: these five boys weren't kids.

No matter what Jack insisted.

"How are you two doing?" he finally asked.

They both looked up from their meal, and Duo gave him a sweet smile. Of the five, this one had the most expressive eyes, Daniel thought. It was as if being physically well had restored his true personality, that of a vivacious and lively young adult who would rather laugh and joke around than face anything seriously. Rather like Jack.

"Fine," the long-haired boy said. "Good, even. We like it here a lot. We like the food, we like the people, we like this base, we like what you're trying to accomplish. We think you're very brave for venturing out into the unknown through your Stargate without even space-flight capability."

Daniel took a sip of his coffee and smiled. "You only like the food because you haven't had better."

Both boys grinned. "Could we? Sometime?" Duo asked. "Heero showed me some pictures of your world, and it's beautiful. Like our world, only a lot more people. There never were a whole lot of N'saian like there are humans. Do you think we could one day go out and see some of it?"

If he had anything to say about it, they would. Daniel smiled. "I hope so. You should get to experience some of the planet you're going to help save, right?" When they both smiled, he changed the subject. "We have an unexpected guest, now."

"You mean, besides us?" Duo teased.

Daniel chuckled. "Zechs Marquise. What can you tell me about him?"

They glanced at each other, then Heero sighed. "He's a Desaine, but he's not a bad person. I don't feel we owe him anything, since he was at least partly responsible for our confinement."

"But also for our freedom," Duo said softly, giving his lover a significant look.

Heero looked at Duo for a long moment. Then he met Daniel's eyes once more. "He would probably be willing to volunteer to run test programs with our Gundams when they're built."

Daniel tapped the tabletop. "That aside, what I want to know is if we can trust him."

"Yes," Duo said right away. "Thanks to him, I'm over the virus and everything else much faster than if Doctor Fraiser had treated me. At great personal sacrifice."

Heero grabbed one of Duo's hands between both of his own. "We always respected him as a soldier."

Daniel nodded. "General Hammond would like to hear your personal thoughts on him before making any decisions, but I doubt we can send him back to Desaine, given what he smuggled out."

Duo smiled faintly. "Probably not." Then he gave Daniel a serious, unwavering look. "You know, of everyone we've met here on Earth, your mind is the most . . . disciplined. It's hard not to overhear Colonel O'Neill's thoughts." He grinned. "But you keep your thoughts to yourself. It's peaceful."

"And also the first step to learning to control telepathy," Heero added.

Daniel smiled. "I doubt I could become a telepath."

Heero shrugged. "Your minds aren't so different from ours, in a lot of ways. I think the human brain has a great deal of untapped potential."

It was strange to hear words of wisdom like that from such a young person. Especially since it wasn't the first time he'd heard them. Daniel waved it off. "Jack could learn, too. He's not as dumb as he lets people believe."

Duo grinned. "We know. I kinda like him. He's got this rugged, playful exterior, and he's really . . . um, handsome."

Heero snorted.

Daniel couldn't help it and laughed. "Well, you'll get to know all of us well in the next few months, I'm sure. I had one more thing I wanted to ask right now, then I'll let Doctor Fraiser have you. It's about these Gundams."

Both boys sobered. "What about them?" Heero asked.

Daniel folded his hands. "Are you sure you want to build them? I understand you feel you owe us something, you want to repay a debt. I probably couldn't change your minds about that, could I?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"My question is, are you _all right_ with building them? I saw your faces when you talked about them. They make you uneasy. No one here will force you to do anything. There are other ways you can help out around the SGC."

Heero blinked, seeming surprised. He took a deep breath. "We've had some negative experience with them," he admitted after a moment, "and the thought of building more was unsettling at first. We destroyed the Gundams ourselves. But we know more now than we did then. We can make new ones that won't have the problems of the old ones. Quatre's been checking in with us, telling us how smart Major Carter is. She'll be able to come up with something, I know it."

Their faith in her would make Sam smile, Daniel resolved to tell her first chance he got. "All right. Just remember, you're under no obligation to do anything that would hurt you."

"Thank you," Heero said.

Rising, Daniel left them alone to finish their lunch. He certainly hoped the boys believed his words.

**o0o 0o0**

"So, how does that invasive neurological link work that Wufei mentioned?" Sam asked.

Quatre hopped up to sit on a clear counter in Major Carter's lab. She insisted he call her Sam, and with a little practice he was beginning to think of her as Sam, too. She was a woman, and she had some maternal instincts like Doctor Fraiser. But she was also a warrior, and a competent one at that. Quatre liked her. A lot.

"Well, it's . . . Do you know of the Tok'ra memory recall devices?" he asked.

"Yes. We've unfortunately encountered them."

He grinned. "They're sort of like that. Except, instead of one disc it's two, one for each temple. They're connected by a thin metal bar that has some lights. When the lights flash red across the band, it means the link is severed or has been disrupted. When the lights flash green, it means a successful connection has been established with the host pilot and the Gundam is stabilizing and synchronizing the link. When the lights are a solid blue across the band, the Gundam has synchronized its programming with the host pilot's brainwaves and the link is stable."

"Okay," she said, frowning slightly as she committed it to memory. "How does the actual hardware work?"

"Each disc has a delicate network of wires that are finer than a single strand of hair. These wires form a physical connection with the brain, and it's painful."

"The whole time you're connected to the Gundam?" she asked.

"No, just while the connection is being established. However, when the Gundams first started trying to control us, then it was painful all the time. We think they were trying to use pain to distract us enough to override our brainwaves with their own program."

Sam shook her head. "I can't even guess how to write a program like that. Are you sure you need my help?"

He laughed softly. "I think we need a fresher perspective. And in their own way, your computer systems are quite sophisticated."

She gave him a rueful grin. "You're just being polite. But even if I'm of no use, I'd still like to have a hand in solving this problem. So. I haven't really had a chance to look over the schematics of the Gundams. How about you walk me through them, diagram by diagram. I can't do a think unless I understand the technology."

As Quatre dove into them, he found himself smiling and getting a little excited. Yep. He really, really liked Sam Carter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Genre:** Sci-fi, crossover, AU

**Pairings:** 1x2, other

**Disclaimer:** Don't own nothin' but these words

**Warnings:** Yaoi, lemon, language, violence, torture, abuse, character death (sort of), misuse of electricity, telepathy, politics

**Special note:** Dedicated to Nalamacleod and Hikishi, because this was your request to me. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N: **I seem to have found my stride again.

* * *

**Sanity**

The rush of going through the Stargate was still relatively new to the N'saian boys, and Wufei thoroughly enjoyed it. He wanted to turn around and go straight back through, but he doubted O'Neill would appreciate such frivolous activity. The human was obviously a veteran by now, judging by the way he just oh-so-calmly stepped through and didn't so much as stumble as he walked out the other side. Both Wufei and Trowa did, and Wufei had to physically restrain himself from striking Teal'c when the large Jaffa grabbed his elbow to steady him.

_He's just being polite, that's all. We're not on Desaine anymore._ Control firmly restored, he straightened with a nod to the large fellow and looked around.

This 'gate was connected to a world that didn't have any immediately visible civilization. There was, however, a plume of smoke rising in the near distance, and Wufei narrowed his eyes a little. Even his keen eyes couldn't make out the origin, and he looked up at O'Neill, childishly wishing the man weren't so much taller than him.

"Where's that smoke coming from?" and opened his senses to 'hear' the answer.

_Beta Site. It's a human base away from Earth, a place where one day there might be a colony. It's far from any Gao'uld strongholds, it's off their network of 'gates, and there's a good deposit of Trinium in the mountains to the west._

"You'll see when we get there," O'Neill said, waving his P-90.

Yep, Wufei really liked that gun. He wondered if he'd get his own. He and Trowa were both armed with twin combat knives which were quite mean little weapons, but guns were quicker. Neater.

Trowa flashed Wufei a very, very tiny smile, letting the slightly older youth know his friend had been 'listening' for the answer, as well. And he was pleased that Earth had a good supply of Trinium. The Gundams would require a lot of it. And other things Earth probably didn't have, but they could make do. As far as Wufei was concerned, the more inferior the Gundam, the less likely the thing would be to attempt controlling its pilot. That could only be a good thing.

"Teal'c, how did you come to serve in the SGC?" Trowa asked abruptly.

Wufei quickly tuned in, curious to know the answer as well. _Was the former First Prime of the Gao'uld System Lord Apophis. Privately considered his master to be a barbarian and tyrant. Was always waiting for the right opportunity to escape enslavement. O'Neill convinced him to help him free some slaves, won the Jaffa's trust, and now faithfully serves Earth in their fight against the Gao'uld_.

Teal'c replied with some of that, and his answer was every bit as succint and to-the-point as the flashes of information Wufei received from his mind. His thoughts, like O'Neill's, were disciplined. He just had no idea how to make sure no errant thoughts strayed out to those capable of hearing them. Wufei noticed a bit too late that O'Neill was watching him closely, his dark brown eyes narrowed beneath his camo-green cap.

"You're doing it again, aren't you?"

His attitude, Wufei thought while gritting his teeth, was really starting to get annoying. "We _aren't_ - " he began heatedly.

Trowa once more interjected in a soothing tone he'd picked up from his golden-haired lover. "I apologize, Colonel. We aren't reading your minds, I swear to you. All we're doing is . . . picking up on the surface images. If we were trying to read your minds, you'd most likely be able to feel the intrusion since both of you have highly disciplined minds."

Smooth-talker, Wufei thought with an internal grin. That compliment made a small rush of pride flicker through O'Neill. Whether Teal'c felt complimented or not was a mystery, he barely reacted at all. _"You've learned a lot from Quatre, haven't you?"_ he couldn't help teasing.

Trowa threw him a glance. _"His way of handling people usually works better than yours."_

He couldn't show it on his face because he didn't want to insult O'Neill, but Wufei shared a strictly silent laugh with Trowa.

The 'Beta Site' turned out to be an efficiently-run military camp with semi-permanent shelters built. Wufei stretched out with his senses, making sure to include Trowa since his telepathy was far stronger, doing a mental inventory. More than sixty people, and not all of them were military. He could also sense more in the mountains, no doubt mining the Trinium. Trowa rode along with him, adding a little strength here and there just to improve Wufei's reach.

"Almost one-hundred people," he said aloud before he remembered himself. Really, would he ever be used to keeping his abilities to himself?

O'Neill, however, just looked down at him. "Eighty nine," he confirmed, "though that number will be increasing soon. "We're going to establish this as a Jaffa training and refugee camp. We just have to haul in all the supplies we'll need."

Wufei nodded, impressed by what he saw. "Heero was right about you people. Extremely resourceful, even with a level of technology that doesn't necessarily match up with all else that's out there."

The human just snorted. "One of our most loveable traits. Come on, kids."

The military leader of the camp turned out to be a Major Gates, and he gave O'Neill a sharp salute, waves of respect rolling off him. Wufei nodded to himself. It was always good to know soldiers respected and obeyed their leader.

"Colonel," he said. "Are these Airmen from the Academy?"

"Yep," O'Neill lied easily. "Best and brightest of their class. Barton and Chang, meet Major Gates, CO of Alpha Site."

It wasn't the first time Wufei had seen that salute, so he deduced it was the proper way to greet a commanding officer. He therefore drew himself up straight and saluted. At his side, Trowa mimicked him. It pleased O'Neill.

"Pleased to meet you, Sir," Trowa said.

Gates beamed them a million-watt smile. "At ease, Airmen. Your first time through the 'gate?"

Wufei automatically opened his mouth to give the truth, but O'Neill sent out such a deliberate pulse of warning he reminded himself he was human. He smiled in what he hoped was a humanlike way. "Yes, Sir. It was exhilirating. We can't wait to do it again."

Trowa echoed him with a smile that looked more amused than anything else.

Satisfaction from O'Neill.

"I'm glad you're here, Colonel," Gates now addressed the older human. "We've been having trouble with the natives. Specifically, one native."

Wufei 'listened' for more information, and he got it in a quick burst. _A large creature with a frame more bulky than a bear, a face somewhat like a wild boar with very large, thick tusks and three eyes. Big ears for good hearing, strange armored plates on its back and back of its legs instead of fur, extremely quick on its feet for such a size. Extremely aggressive, will not back down from confrontation, has been injured many times with P-90 fire, seems to heal remarkably fast._

"What is it?" O'Neill asked.

When Gates explained, Teal'c stirred. "It matches the description of a _ma'ghreet_," he said. "The System Lords used to use them to guard their temples, but they became too aggressive to control and were all released on different worlds to terrorize the populations."

_Swell,_ Wufei thought scathingly. As if he didn't have enough reason to hate the Gao'uld.

"This'll be a great chance for you boys to see a little action and put your educations to good use," O'Neill said, looking down at Trowa and Wufei. "We'll be back in a bit, Major. We'll head out toward the mine site."

"Yes, sir," Gates said, saluting again.

Curious, Wufei followed the colonel, perfectly ready to do exactly what O'Neill wanted. That was, to find a way of dealing with the _ma'ghreet_ without anyone being hurt. Quatre would be better at dealing with an animal, his empathy able to tell him things about dumber creatures that telepathy could not. He told the colonel so when they were out of earshot.

"It's fine if you can't deal with it peacefully," O'Neill said, and to Wufei's amusement he sent a silent apology to Dr. Jackson.

The peace-loving archaeologist definitely wouldn't approve of killing the thing. Wufei was less sympathetic. If something destructive came along and could not coexist, it must be removed for the safety of all. And the _ma'ghreet_ was an invasive species that might very well be doing the environment more harm than good. Should anyone need a justification.

Wufei did not.

"How will you deal with it?" Teal'c asked, looking quite curious.

Wufei shrugged. "It depends. I can easily change the mindset of weak-willed humans, but animals are more difficult. They don't rationalize, they follow their instincts. Instinct is harder to target. If I can't convince it to leave for good, I'll kill it."

"How?" O'Neill asked, and Wufei could tell he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"The easiest way I can," he replied, though most of them would probably cause the dumb beast unnecessary pain.

"I could stop its heart," Trowa piped up. "It wouldn't suffer for long."

"Fine," O'Neill said, nodding.

His preference was for killing the beast and eliminating the problem for good.

**o0o 0o0**

Their new quarters on the base were a little small, Duo thought, but comfortable. There was only one bed, and it was plenty big enough for two people. Duo wondered whose idea that was so he could thank them. There was a desk, a couch, a few stuffed chairs, and a few fake plants. It looked bare, but as Heero sat down at one end of the couch, only approval rolled off his lover.

_"We'll make it our own in no time,"_ he said, patting the space beside him.

Duo didn't sit down, rather he laid down and put his head on Heero's lap. _"I know. It desperately needs some color."_

Daniel Jackson followed them in and closed the door. "Well, what do you think? Hopefully it won't feel too crowded. To conserve space, we only put in one bed."

And because they knew the two boys would only use one. Duo smiled.

"It's perfect. It just needs some nice pictures on the walls. Can we have some brought in?"

"Of course," Daniel said, sitting down on one of the chairs. "Are you two ready to begin?"

"Yep!" Duo chirped, closing his eyes in bliss when Heero started stroking his hair back and massaging his scalp.

"All right," Daniel said. "The first question is always about how you are. How are you two feeling about all this change in your lives? You've overcome tremendous physical obstacles and suffered a great deal of physical and emotional trauma."

"Mm," Duo said, looking up at Heero and feeling out his lover's response, "we're both okay. A little battered, sure. But you know, the N'saian are never ones to wallow in suffering. We're survivors." Then he sighed. "Somehow, that feels irreverent to say."

Heero's cobalt eyes bored into his indigo, and a great sadness passed between them.

Daniel waited a moment. "And how are you holding up about that? You're the last of your people."

Nothing but concern emanated from the blue-eyed human, so Duo was able to answer honestly. "It's hard," he admitted, "and that realization strikes us at weird times. But what good does it do to dwell on it? You can either keep going or . . . be a basket case." He grinned.

Daniel chuckled. "As true as that is, do you both feel like you've come to terms with your loss and dealt with it?"

Another pause as the pair exchanged images and feelings. "Well," Duo said slowly, "we've . . . accepted it. I think we'll still be grieving for a long time, though. But because we still have each other and we all share a special bond, we're able to face each day without breaking down."

Daniel smiled. "You have a great attitude. Both of you."

Duo broke into a grin. "How do you know it's Heero's attitude? He hasn't said anything."

Another soft laugh. "But I can see you two are communicating. It's all over both your faces. I'm glad you all have each other. The next question is easier, I hope. You two were betrayed by the former organization you worked under. Do you feel you can trust the SGC and give us your complete loyalty?"

"Yes," Duo replied without hesitation. "On Desaine we could start feeling something was wrong. We were younger and maybe more naive, because we couldn't prepare ourselves in time. And we always felt we owed them something. It's different with Earth. You don't want anything from us. And Heero still can't quite believe that." Grinning up at his love, he brushed the backs of his fingers over Heero's cheek.

Who returned the grin with a small smile.

Daniel put the file folder he'd been holding on the desk. "This next part I've always felt was strange, but it's called an ink-blot. Basically, I'll hold up a sheet of paper, and you tell me the first thing that pops into your mind."

_Ink blot, literally pouring black ink onto a piece of paper, folding it in half, and letting it dry._ Duo frowned a little. Seemed like a strange test, and what exactly was it supposed to reveal? Ah well, no matter, he was game. Daniel held up a sheet.

It was Heero who responded. "A big blot of ink," he said.

And he was so dead serious. Not a trace of sarcasm or humor. Duo burst into giggles.

Daniel looked amused, too. "Try not to be so literal-minded. Do you see some shape in the ink?"

Heero didn't look back at the paper, holding Daniel's gaze. "I'm sorry, but all I see is a blot of non-geometrical, not-quite-symmetrical black ink on plain white paper."

Chuckling, Daniel looked at Duo. "You?"

"Um, it kinda looks like a retarded bird? Maybe?" Duo offered.

Still grinning, Daniel tucked it back in his file folder. "Okay, so maybe that's a waste of time. I've always thought so. I'm going to tell the general I think you two are holding up remarkably well considering all you've been through, and there's no reason to believe you're psychologically unfit to serve in the field. You still have the actual evaluation with another member of the staff, but I think my opinion matters to General Hammond." He smiled.

Duo returned it. "Can't you tell General Hammond that you already did our psyche evaluation? You understand that we don't both need to respond to the questions, that I'm literally speaking for both of us."

Daniel sighed. "I truly wish I could, but I'm not qualified to judge someone's psyche. You'll probably talk to Dr. McKenzie, but he's a good man. I'll try to talk to him beforehand, explain that you two are in constant communication with each other and that you are the talker for both, Duo." He winked.

Duo giggled. Heero smiled down at him. _"You really like him, don't you?"_

_"Mm hmm. He's got a heart of gold, isn't that what Mother used to say? And even you can't deny, he's really hot."_

Heero snorted, drawing a curious look from Daniel, but neither bothered to explain. Sometimes, silence was more prudent.


End file.
